The Dead Equilibrium
by The Red Merc
Summary: A PMC group was sent into Japan for an aid mission, along with their own little side objective. Things had gone smoothly. That is, until the evacuation had failed at the bridges. Now, Tucker is all alone, a squad leader in Alpha Providence. Meeting Takashi's group, he decided that this is the group he'll aid; the mission his squad did not survive to do... Rated: M (S/L/V) [OC]
1. The Ambush

_So I mustered up to do this one chapter for now, see what you'll think. Putting in a little mix in with some specially new characters out of Jormungand/Black Lagoon and some American Marine action (Oorah!). Making this a sequel as well with some prologue of some sort. Might put a little back story of Alpha Providence, the newly introduced OC mercenary/PMC group. Enjoy..._

_WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! The characters for HOTD is not in this yet, they will be shown next chapter. Reason being is to get this emotional stuff out of the way and see what happened to Tucker before I go on. The story will leave off when Takashi and his group arrived at the Police Station. Heads up on that one. NOW enjoy..._

...

Two dark grey MRAP 6x6 rolls down a street through a small shopping district. As the gunners of these two MRAPs were two masked people, unable to see the identity of their faces. Behind their dark lenses of the eyes sockets of their hardened masks, they kept their eyes peeled on the sides of the streets for any more of 'them'. With their numbers decreased along with their morale, they're current objective is to get out of there alive back to their HQ vessel adrift at sea around the Japanese main island and form a new plan of their objectives. Since the EMP blast, their radio systems built in their masks were rendered useless, so a simple call for help was long since out of the equation. In the lead vehicle, a guy with the name of Tucker seated at the back of the Humvee with a dark red faded stripe going down the left eye socket of his rubber and metal plated dark mask taps at his wrist dock computer firmly fitted to his forearm, reading through their coordinates. Luckily, their mercenary group, Alpha Providence, was one of the most highly technical private military force to ever come into existence, meaning that the EMP blast had only brought these guy's wrist computers down to only being capable of reading their GPS position and what not; the little simple stuff.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK", Patterson, a curvy woman seated beside the driver, shouts whilst stomping her boot against the dash board. Her neon blue pony tail hung loosely down her back and against her seat, though below her mask she hid an irritated anger. "We should've went in there and pulled our guys out! I mean, we had that fucking chance!"

"Yeah, well we're not too far from that shithole now", Breckon, the driver, replies with his southern country accent. He rested the cheek of his mask against his gloved hand, gazing out the windshield with a hidden downer look. "Why not skip on back there so you can shut your cock hole already?"

"So basically, you're telling our dead friends 'Hey guys, fuck off'?"

The gunner of that MRAP, Gabriel, stomps his foot down on his standing support. "Hey guys, just shut up down there and pay attention." His voice had a tint of a Persian accent mixed in there.

"Oh yeah", Patterson exclaims. "Seems like I'm the only one here who cares of _our_ fallen."

"Everyone, listen the fuck up", Tucker shouts at the back, loud enough to bring the commotion to a complete, dead silence. "We move forward and stay alive. Remember what your sister told us before we left her, Patterson? She said to keep moving without looking back." One of the deceased, being Patterson's sister, was deeply in love with Tucker. He was the one that saved her from an ambush in Afghanistan. In fact, he was the reason why she left the Air Force for Alpha Providence. And now, she's gone. She took her own life with a bullet in her head right in front of him just three days ago as the bridge evacuation became a bust, not to add that she was bitten.

The silence grew heavier within the Humvee.

Then, the silence broke with screeching tires from behind.

The following MRAP scurs and flips over as it hit an abandoned car, soon landing into an 18 wheeler with a hard crash due to the speed of the large vehicle. The lead MRAP came to a stop, then out came Tucker and Patterson with their rifles up as Gabriel took aim of his .50 to the crash site and Breckon just watching. The rifle Tucker is using is an HK416A5 rifle with a navy digital camo. He kept his eyesight through to the red chevron of the ACOG scope with his trigger finger easing on the trigger the closer he got. Patterson had an M16A4 with an M203 mounted to the underbarrel, her eyes fixated through the iron sights of her rifle around the vehicle. The windshield of the tipped over MRAP was kicked out from someone inside, then out crawled onto the pavement from the large vehicle.

"S-Sir, I had to kill t-them", the man spoke up to Tucker weakly. Tucker hurries to him with his rifle slung around to his side. "One of them turned and went out and b-bit everyone else... It happened too fast..."

Tucker glances around the guy's body, finding a bite mark here and there along his forearm. "Sorry Alpha, but I gotta cut you loose."

Though, the man shook his head with the little strength he had. "I-I've got it, sir. Alpha forever..." As Tucker stood from the guy, the guy took a sidearm from his hip and aims it beneath his chin where the mask could not reach. Without the need of witnessing another guy to do this, Tucker turns away just as the pistol fired off. Patterson was already in that tipped over MRAP vehicle, finding no other survivors.

"Fuck!" Tucker cursed aloud, then headed back to his MRAP. "Is Heckler doing alright back here?"

Breckon glances at the back area, finding two people seated with a limp and strapped to the seats. "By the looks of it, yeah. They're still out, but fine."

Tucker sighs deeply as he walks to the back and Patterson taking the passenger's with a huff. "The explosive is set." She says without emotion. "Drive on."

The MRAP rolls forward then sped up before the crashed MRAP went up in flames and twisted metal from the block of C4 set in the interior. This sort of thing is regulations for Alpha Providence in order to maintain a secrecy on their technology, intel, and personnel. The short process is grave, but a must. Right when the explosion went off, everyone shuddered and lets out their own curse word, though Tucker just staring down at the floor of the interior, his rifle set beside him. Beneath that mask, he hid an empty look.

Gabriel gazes around with the .50 trained to wherever his eyes were set. It wasn't long before he taps the roof of the MRAP, grabbing everyone's attention and causing the MRAP to slow down just a bit. "We have a single hostile to a street to the right." Ahead was a four-way intersection with a single zombie limping around aimlessly near the center of the roads. Everyone's attention was trained on that one zombie as they roll in closer and closer... Then they all let out a breath of relief to see that there was no other more of 'them'.

Tucker chuckles weakly at their over exaggeration, then spoke up. "Nothing but one of those damn bast-..."

"Wait, there's more of them to our left", Heckler calls out, suddenly awake from his minor concussion wound he had achieved earlier that morning by a blast from those they left behind. "And there's a fuck load of them!"

Tucker pushed aside the thought of how he had waken up suddenly, but looks forward to the street ahead. As Brecken was about to speed out of there, more of 'them' began to stumble into view from the surrounding houses and vehicles. So then Tucker decided to open the rear door and gaze out to the large crowding of 'them' closing up their rear escape and slowly making their way towards the idle MRAP.

"Fuck, sir", Brecken says with a quiver in his voice. "How the hell did they catch us up like this? What do we do?"

Patterson exits out the door with her rifle in hand, firing off round after round on semi auto at the closing in zombies. "We take them on, what else?!"

Tucker bit his lip then steps out through the rear and yells out, "Brecken, get your ass out here! We're holding it here; there's way too many to just plow them through. Gabriel! Light them the fuck up!"

"And what about me, sir", Heckler asks, unstrapping himself and reaching for his SCAR-L rifle.

"You stay there and watch your bro, wake him the fuck up or something." Then, Tucker left out after shutting the rear doors to a close. He raises his rifle to the incoming zombies, switching off the safety to full auto and sending out powerful two round bursts at whichever of 'them' came close enough to his 'Danger Zone'. "Heard me Gabriel?! UNLOAD ON THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS!"

Gabriel smirks, pulling back the bolt and pressing both thumbs on the trigger, the jolt of each rapid round sent up through his arms painfully. "Oo-fucking-rah sir!" Gabriel, Tucker, Heckler, and Patterson are allowed to say the lingo 'Oorah' because before all this, they were in the Marine Corps. "Get some you undead fucks!"

Brecken sighs, dragging out his M240B LMG and couches on the pavement with that hell-of-a-gun raised up to the street nobody else took. Then, he unleashes the rapid, deadly firepower onto the large crowd of 'them', the street where there was just that one zombie but suddenly crowded with a ton more. Aside from that firepower, the best they actually got is that sweet .50 cal MG, mowing down one after another with great power enough to tear through their limbs and rip through one or two more behind that first unlucky bastard. This street had just become a warzone for these six mercs. As this warzone had gone on and on, they finally succumbed to this amusement. Each body dropped and each pint of blood spilled, each person but Heckler and his brother inside the MRAP lets out a laughter or a deadly smile beneath their masks.

Finally, 'they' had broken closer to the squad. A single zombie reach out its arm to Patterson, grabbing her arm as she was reloading her M16A4 rifle. With a growl, Patterson smacks the zombie with the butt of her rifle then tosses it aside, reaching for her SIG SAUER P229 and popping off rounds to the close crowd of 'them'. The street Gabriel was mowing down became much more dense even for that powerful weapon he uses to slaughter the growing crowd. Brecken was lowered down to using his Glock 18 at 'them' nearly face-to-face. Heckler was going around, giving everyone as much help as they needed. Tucker was down to his blade, a MKII knife. He stabs one after another through their temple, sending uppercuts and high kicks to the side of their skulls. Even each fighting blow was enough to render each of 'them' lifeless... For good.

Time passes to mid-afternoon. Everyone was pushed back to the MRAP.

Patterson sat in her passenger's seat, kicking each of 'them' in the face to keep them back as Brecken hurries over to her side to help her, leaving the street he was covering.

"Fuck, we're so fucked", Patterson screams through her clenched teeth, terrified as one of 'them' gapes open their mouths over her leg. But before it chomps down, Brecken tackles that son-of-a-bitch down to the ground and uses his mask to beat the hell out of it's face until it became unrecognizable.

"Fuck this shit", Brecken swore, out of breath.

Patterson raises her pistol up at the swarming crowd, then glances to Brecken, leaning his side to the MRAP to catch his breath. "Brecken, MOVE!"

Before Brecken looks to Patterson, two of 'them' pushes him against the MRAP and chews down on his fleshy shoulder. But, Brecken pushes them off with all his strength and stomps his boot down on the one that fell to the ground on his skull, crushing it. Tucker and Heckler were at the rear doors, crouched inside and firing off their pistols to the swarm of the undead. So Brecken hurries around to the back. "We've gotta move, sir."

Tucker looks down at Brecken, a hidden horror under his mask as he seen the bite mark on his shoulder. "What the fuck?"

Patterson screams out of irritation at the passenger's seat as she rushes out, going hand to hand at 'them'. "I've had it with you assholes!"

Brecken glances out to where Patterson had run off to, and it seems to be towards the crowd of 'them'. "Patterson, get your ass back-..."

Though, he was cut off as he had seen her disappear in the crowd of 'them', which lowers down to their food.

"Patterson!" Brecken shouts at the top of his lungs over the gunfire of Gabriel and his .50 cal. Suddenly, he was pulled back by 'them'. Quickly, Tucker and Heckler grabs Brecken by his arms.

"Fuck", Tucker exclaims. "Hang the fuck on!"

Brecken could feel 'them' chewing away at his legs from behind, yelling out in pain. "Agh, FUCK!" He then looks to Tucker right in the eye sockets of his masks with his own sky blue eyes, the show of pain visible in his eyes. "Sir, get everyone out of here. Save all you can, sir. PROMISE ME THAT!" Before Tucker could open his mouth to speak, Brecken reaches for Heckler's pistol, ripping it out of his grasp and aims it to his temple, firing a shot through his skull.

Slowly, Heckler and Tucker lets him go and shuts the rear doors as 'they' feast on the corpse. Tucker punches and kicks the wall of the interior out of frustration, cursing every word there is in the book. But for Brecken to kill himself with a bullet in his head like Patterson's sister? That took balls. A lot of it.

Heckler sighs and mutters a curse. Outside, an explosion was heard, then another.

"Oi, move your arse and get fucking moving you bastards", Gabriel shouts from the .50 cal. "I've dropped some grenades, so there's an opening. It's closing fucking fast, so move it! Take Farley too!"

Heckler grabs Farley, his passed out brother with a worse head trauma wound than Heckler, then carries him over to the passenger's seat. Outside, there was an opening between the crowd of 'them' to the street on the right. So he carries his brother towards that opening, limping a bit with each step. Tucker hurries out, looking up to Gabriel. "Let's go, you Persian fuck!" He then turns and hurries to Heckler.

Gabriel hops out the gunner's hole and jumps down from the roof onto the bloody pavement and hurries after Tucker and Heckler. He glances down at what seems to be Patterson's mask, then grimaced. Gabriel trips over with a twist in his ankle, but continues on with a limp. "Fuck... Shit..." He goes through the outcomes of this injury, every single outcome. Then stops and looks down at his black tactical MOLLE vest, which contained empty clip holders and some grenade pouches. With a sigh, he glances up at Tucker, Heckler, and Farley as they near a market district. "Sir! I'm staying behind!"

Tucker and Heckler stops, looking to Gabriel as if he was crazy. "Get the fuck moving!" Tucker shouts impatiently.

Gabriel took out two grenades and looks past Tucker and Heckler to the crowd of 'them' ahead. "I'm moving, sir." Then, he starts to limp quickly over to them... Then past them. He limps fast and faster towards that crowd. Tucker quickly caught on then hurries after Gabriel.

"Gabriel", Tucker yells out. "NO!"

He was then pushed back by the force of the explosion.

Slowly, Tucker got up with a groan. He looks down that street leading to the market district, seeing a crater in the pavement with a few bodies scattered about. And to add to that, Heckler came behind Tucker with his mask missing and clothes drenched in blood. "Sir... They've got him..."

Tucker looks to Heckler, seeing the mess and those words, then puts it all together as his mind came back. "Oh shit..."

Tucker looks behind Heckler to try to see, but Heckler turns Tucker around and pushes him forward. "Just go."

"Wait, what about you?"

Heckler rolls up his Tru Spec black shirt, revealing a gaping wound there. "They got me too..."

Tucker was speechless, so Heckler grins thinly as he continues.

"I've got some C4 blocks set up around here. Remember when I was running around? Heh... I set it around the corners of the streets. Even tossed one to where they dragged Brecken... I didn't even think Patterson would say she wanted to strap one to herself. It'll be going off soon." He fell to his knees, then rolls onto his back. Tucker helps him to sit up, finding himself facing a zombie nearly right in front of him. So he aims his pistol up at it and fires a shot through its eye, falling down right next to Tucker and Heckler. Heckler then grabs his rifle slung to his side and reloads it, as he couldn't do so earlier because of the rapid waves of 'them'. "Now..." He aims it at the swarm of 'them' down that road back towards their MRAP and began firing, a full auto SCAR-L and a semi auto M1911. "MOVE IT! NOW!"

Tucker froze a moment. "No. No, no, NO! We're getting the fuck outta here, you and me. Saw what the fuck happened? We lost everyone in our damn squad, even in squad 3-9 AND 7-0. I AM NOT GOING TO LEAVE YOU LIKE THIS YOU CRAZY FUCK!" Just as he said that, he found a few packs of C4 strapped to the back of Heckler's MOLLE vest. "Shit... What the fuck are you doing?"

"SAVING YOUR ASS!" Heckler continues to fire nonstop, the jolts in his arms by the small arms firepower making him yell of both pain and adrenaline. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE AND DO OUR JOB! SAVE ALL YOU CAN AND GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!" He dumps an empty mag out his M4 and reloads another, nearing his last. "I've got the det ready, so I suggest you get out of the fuck zone or this is all for nothing."

Tucker grimaces and yells out, "FUCK!" He rips Heckler's dog tags from his neck, then grabs his face to look into his eyes, which had grown purple beneath them of exhaustion, probably from the virus. "I swear, I will make this all worth it." He felt tears streak down his cheeks under his mask. "Semper fi... Alpha forever..." Despite the voice behind that respirator making it sound like a robot sort of, it was heard in deep meaning by Heckler.

Heckler smirks, pushing him aside. "Damn your soft... Go on before you make me regret this shit."

And so, Tucker left without another word, sprinting from that godforsaken area. Once he ran a few blocks away, he heard it. The distant explosion sounded off. No more... No more pain. No more people to get close to. No more like this... This had gone through Tucker's head as he stumbles down the lonely street.

...

_So much suicide, huh? Thinking that there's no way? Don't worry, I'll explain in depth about Alpha Providence and how they are willing to give up their own lives for reason so easily. Anyway, HCLI In Roanopur will continue on, just found inspiration for this at the moment. Calm your tits if they aren't. How is this? Bad? Why is it bad?... Oh, no HOTD characters? Yeah, well, next chapter. Having some emotion time felt needed first, SO DO NOT WORRY!_


	2. Get Together

Takashi led his group of high school survivors down the highway to the East Police Station, drawing closer after their encounter with Kohta's PTSD problem. Just a few hours ago while they made their escape from the mall, they all had heard the explosions and barrage of gunfire from a large distance. At first, Rei had hope that that was her father and his police force, but as the gun fight had died down she had lost it. And now, there she is; being consoled by Takashi as Saya and Kohta investigates some tire tracks to the side.

"Hey 'leader', we found some tire tracks over here", Saya announces. "It looks like they had made their quick escape not too long ago with some working cars or something. So that gunfire earlier... It just might have been them."

With a sigh, Takashi looks over from Rei to Saya and gave her a nod. "Alright, well let's go inside and confirm whether or not someone is in here." He then looks to Rei and spoke in a low tone. "We'll find him, Rei. Come on."

Saeko walks to the door with her hand on the hilt of her katana blade at ready as she opens the door easily. "The doors are open. Stay on your guard."

Everyone nods to Saeko's warning as they all had gone to alert. Seeing the entrance was clear, they all ease up a bit. Takashi then steps up and spoke aloud enough for everyone around to hear. "Alright, so our first priority now is Rei's father, as well as any news we can find about this whole refugee deal. If we can, we'll even scrounge up some guns this place has to offer. But remember: we do not know if 'they' had come through or not, so always stay on your alert unless I give the all clear, understand?"

Everyone nods in agreement.

"Well where are we even going to find all of this if we don't even know where it all is", Saya asks.

"You're the brains of this group, right? And the leader needs his staff to operate, so..."

"So you want me to figure that out?" She sighs but figured that was right. She looks around until finding a map, but couldn't find the armory. "Well they wouldn't be so dumb as to point it out like that. Kohta, where do they keep their guns?"

Kohta pokes out then adjust his glasses as he spoke. "Well, they would call it a hangar and need their weapons in the most appropriate place they can. Somewhere as to when they would be dispatched. In other words, it would have to be somewhere on the first floor."

"Huh, I guess you are useful after all", Saya mutters, then looks to Takashi. "There you have it."

Takashi nods then pulls Kohta beside him. "Kohta and I will lead the way. Rei and Saeko will bring up the rear and Alice, Takagi, and Sensei Shizuka will stay in the center. With that said, let's get going."

Everyone had gone into formation and follows the two guys at point, creeping along the halls with precaution. More gunfire from outside had erupted just briefly, bringing Saeko and Rei to gaze out to the rear at the entrance. "Did you guys hear that", Rei whispers in a low voice.

"Yeah, we did", Takashi replies. "Just keep your eyes back there and keep up with the group."

Rei nods, then looks over her shoulder in hopes of that gunfire being her father, or at least anyone who would be connected to him. "Got it..."

The group stops as they had seen a single zombie stumble out a room. At first, Takashi had went forward with his Ithaca shotgun ready to be used as a blunt weapon, but froze in place as several more had came into the hall ahead with another few coming down the stairs. Everyone stopped and stayed silent.

"What do we do", Shizuka asks, which gravely brought one of 'them' to attention directly at her. As it had stumbled towards their direction, the rest of 'them' had followed suit. Their moans and groans had sent a shudder up Shizuka's and Alice's spines.

"Rei, how's the exits looking", Takashi blurts out as he and Kohta backs up with their weapons trained on 'them'.

"Uh..." Rei was silent, so Saeko had spoken up for her.

"Takashi", Saeko says with a troublesome tone. "We're blocked off!"

"Shit, everyone hold them off!" And as Takashi had given that order, he and Kohta had opened fire. The ringing of the indoor gunshots had brought Shizuka, Alice, and Saya had covered their ears in response. "Shizuka, take Alice and Saya in the room while we hold them off!"

Shizuka did so without hesitation, leading Alice into the room beside them whilst pulling Saya along who tried to stay back in protest.

As Saeko and Rei had cut 'them' down from behind and Kohta and Takashi unloading round after round at the front, they had gone back-to-back. "Everyone, get inside", Saeko commands as she rushes into the room the other three had retreated to, followed by Takashi and the other fighters.

"What do we do now", Alice asks as Kohta and Takashi had pressed their backs against the door to keep it closed from the strong horde of 'them' at the other side.

Takashi clenches his teeth as he figured that this was the end. He had ran out of ideas to make their escape as their room was only a windowless break room. But just as he had grown into doubt, gunfire echoes outside in the hall, as well as the sound of thuds which supposedly are bodies falling to the floor. The bursts of gunfire goes on and on the next few seconds, then the sound of a clatter hitting the floor. The hitting of the door ceases, so Kohta and Takashi steps back and aims their weapons to it as it was kicked in. The door fell to the floor from the hard kick by the masked, black combat dressed individual with a HK416 held up at the teens.

"Weapons down and follow me", the individual shouts through his mask, which sounds as though he was speaking through a styrofoam cup.

As the teens had slowly lowered their weapons, the individual turns and aims his rifle down the hall towards where Takashi's group was going. Seeing that it was clear, he swifts around and fires round after round towards the horde of 'them' coming in. "You guys stay behind right behind my ass!" He drops his HK416 to hang by the sling across his chest and took two grenades from his pouch. "Cover your ears too!"

Everyone was hesitant at that last command, but went behind the masked guy to stay clear of any incoming shrapnel and covered their ears with their eyes shut tight, ready for what came next.

"Frags out", the guy shouts as he unpin the grenades and tosses them over 'their' heads. As it had went midair, he wraps his arms around the survivors and hurries them up the stairs, just as two loud explosions had sound off that had rocked the building a bit.

The masked individual sighs as he stood away from everyone and reloads his weapons. As the high schoolers had gotten a good look at their savior, they had skimmed over his rough-edged mask and black Tru Spec Tactical Response shirt. His vest was firmly fitted to his figure with magazines fitted into the four pouches at the left side and some gear fitted to his right. A large knife was fixed on his left arm and on his back was a filled duffel bag. "You two are here for some information", he finally asks as he looks up to everyone.

Being the leader, Takashi nervously spoke up. "Y-Yeah, we were wondering where the officers had left to, and searching for some weapons and Rei's father."

The man shook his head as he walks down the stairs and saw the scattered corpses. "Everyone is long gone from this place. And the info... I'll fill you in on everything. We're falling out."

"Wait, why should we listen to you", Saya blurts.

"Because, if we stay here we're dead. Those shit faces heard everything miles out, so I'd guess they're hauling ass over here. And plus..." He nudges her shoulder gently with his hard-knuckled gloved fist. "I saved your ass."

Saya stayed silent in defeat and shrugs him off, leaving Takashi to ask another question. "Who are you and where did you come from? Like, are you military?"

The man motions everyone to follow as he answered, which everyone obediently did. "Name is Tucker. Where I'm from? I'm from good ol' America, here to save any civvies. And no, I'm not military... Well, I am but I'm not, you can say."

The teenage group became confused at that last answer, but didn't bother on asking. In fact, they didn't have to when Hirano had yelped in excitement. "That weapon your holding, it's _the _HK416 with modded attachments! Even an ACOG scope and an M203 underbarrel grenade launcher! And your mask...!"

As they made it outside, Tucker closes his ear with one of his gloved hands as his eyes travels along the streets for any more of 'them'. Though, it was clear. "Damn, your annoying! But, hey, I like your shi-..."

Saya clears her throat on purpose, bringing Tucker to look over his shoulder at her, who held Alice under her breasts as a gesture.

"As I've said, I like your taste, bud. Anyway..." He held his weapon across his chest as he stops at the entrance to the parking lot. "Looks like it'll be cats and dogs comin' on down. I pitched a tent nearby, so once we get there, we can all sit down and share campfire stories with marshmallows and crackers. Sound good to you, or what?"

Takashi looks at everyone, who began to exchange different glances at one another. So, succumbing to the agreement, he spoke his answer for everyone. "We'll come." He then steps towards the athletically fit figure and stares up through the dark sockets of his mask in hopes of looking right in Tucker's eyes. "But don't even think about screwing us over, got it?" His tone was low and even a bit dangerous

"Damn, got it Mister Boss Man." Tucker replies with a nonchalant chuckle, then he began to go down that same highway followed by Takashi and the others.

...

_This story may be a bit more lengthy than my previous stories. Mainly so I can get in some good amount of details and so on. Hope you enjoyed, more to come._

_-The Red Merc_


	3. Settling Reunion

_This chapter will take a while, so... Well, it may not seem so for you but I have my schedule packed again. When summer rolls around, I'll have at least a bit more time. Monster Musume is scheduled to come by a month or a month and a half. Still thinking on the theme/context. If you like some steamy ecchi/sexy/harem moments, expect it. Anyway, here we go..._

...

As the group of survivors crept along the sidewalk with the rain storming down, Tucker glances over his shoulder to the distant high schoolers. By the sight of it, Tucker had begun to think that they are still taken aback by his appearance and the little amount of background information. So, he stops by the door to a small mart and kicks it in.

"Everyone, in here", Tucker calls out, waving everyone inside. "Grab some rain gear and what not; whatever you need. After that, we'll continue on ahead to the suburbs."

Everyone hurries inside without hesitation, mainly to get away from the pouring rain. Luckily, they had gone through the awnings of the small stores, so they weren't entirely wet.

"Damn, we got lucky there", Rei blurts, shivering a little as she goes through the aisles in search of raincoats.

Takashi took a water bottle and heads for the bathroom at the back silently while Hirano and the others go about their business. Tucker sat on the counter, watching everyone as he sets his rifle down aside and unbuckles his mask by the straps on the back of his head. Once he took it off, he sets the 3-pound object next to the cash register, revealing a skin tight black balaclava. His eyes were visible, which were a dark blue color and his skin shown to be a caucasian color. The girls watches him, peering over the aisles out of curiosity as he slid his last facial layer free from his head. He had black, short, messy hair in a fray. As he tries to fix his hair, the girls go into awe at his sight, now murmuring to one another.

"Gosh, I never realized how much of a looker the guy is", Rei whispers to Takagi.

Saya blinks then glances elsewhere furiously, hiding her face from Rei. "Don't come at me with that!"

Rei looks over to Shizuka and Saeko, who were watching Tucker push his hair back for the finally touch, though the silky strands fell forward again once more. "How old is he again", Shizuka murmurs aloud to herself, her mind boggled by the sight.

Saya rolls her eyes, then snaps at the girls quietly. "Hey, wake up! Grab what we need so we can get a move on!"

Alice walks over to Tucker, tugging at his sleeve like the child she is. "Mister? How many umbrellas do we need?"

Tucker gave Alice a tender, small smile while he rummages through her hair playfully. "Two is enough, little bird." His solid Japanese was spoken with a light tone, the accent not matching the language quite well. "Gotta travel light and fast through this storm."

Alice nods cheerfully, running to the back of the mart. The girls held an envious look at the skipping Alice, then looks to Tucker. But, they go about their business once they found his eyes aimed at their general direction. "Got anything over there?"

"N-Not yet", Rei calls out.

Takashi had just exited the bathroom with the empty water bottle, tossing it aside and meeting Kohta at the back of separate aisle. "What are you looking at?"

Kohta glances at Takashi with an innocent, though crooked, smile. "Something for the weapons."

Takashi took another glance, finding a pack of condoms in Kohta's possession. "W-What the hell are you thinking?!"

"Wait, before you react, hear me out!" Kohta scurries with his words. "This is to put at muzzles of our weapons to keep rain, mud, and dust from getting inside.

Tucker held his head over Kohta's shoulder, looking down at the pack. "Pretty ballsy trying to stick one in her, are you?"

Kohta jumps and wails his arms, blushing furiously and looking to Tucker. "Wait, is that you?"

"In the flesh and blood, bud", he replies with a chuckle.

"What the hell is this for", Saya shouts as the pack of condoms fell on her head. Takashi walks elsewhere to avoid the incoming verbal abuse. Saya stomps to Kohta and Tucker, holding the pack in their faces. "Just what the hell are you two plotting?! Are you trying to bust one of us in our sleep?!"

Kohta shook, apologizing with apologies after apologies. "N-No, we figured that this would keep mud and rain from getting into the barrels of our guns!"

Tucker, completely calm, looks down at Kohta and gave him a slap on the back. "You're a smart piece of turd, huh?" That praise brought immediate tears to Kohta's eyes. "Anyway, cut the kid and I some slack. Don't jump to conclusions like that. You're a smart beauty, I get that, but don't go too quick on your answers every now and then."

Saya pokes her finger in Tucker's finger. "And you, don't even think about calling me that again, understand? I know how to handle myself and my problems. I don't need a smartass to tell me off."

Tucker simply raised his hands up in defeat. "Wakata."

Saya pouts, looking at the pack before Shizuka took it from her hands. "Oh, what are we using these for?"

Tucker rolls his eyes with a chuckle, not wanting to go through this again. "I'll be headed out to map out the surrounding. Stay here until I return... Please?"

Rei nods with a giggle. "I'll keep 'em here for you."

Tucker gave her wink before heading off to his masks, putting them on. "Thanks a ton, sweetheart."

Rei blushes, holding her cheeks and watches him leave out into the storm. "What a gentleman."

Takashi looks over at Rei with slight sorrow in his eyes.

"Don't let it get to you", Saeko says to Takashi from the opposite aisle. "A woman is just showing her puppy love, that's all."

...

Tucker crouches with his rifle shouldered and lowered, ready for anything that came up. He froze with a hidden smile at the sight of headlights ahead, supposedly a car. "And bingo was his name-o..."

He crept towards the lights with his rifle raised towards it, the rain making visibility slightly difficult. He could turn on his different visors, but his battery chip was fried by that EMP. The closer he got, the more his heart sunk...

"What the hell", he mutters to himself with every step. He then froze once more, his heart dropping immediately at the sight of a mask surrounded by blood, pieces of black clothing, and flesh. As he glances to the side, he caught a tiny glimpse through the thick rain of a single stray corpse. The figure stood, staring right at Tucker. The long hair of the figure lays down their shoulder and over the similar mask. Their sides was shown to be missing a chunk or two. "Fucking shit... Patterson, God no..."

The swaying lone figure was indeed the corpse of Patterson, a close friend to Tucker and the sister to the woman that loved him very dear. The woman who was last seen to put a bullet in her own skull. Slowly, Tucker raises his lowered HK416 rifle right at Patterson. Once she had turned to the side, revealing the back of her unprotected head where her pony tail had been free, Tucker shook and trembles as bad as his heavy breathing. "Fuck... Fuck... Patterson..." A single tear streaks down from his eye beneath his mask. "Brecken... Everyone..." He shuts his eyes, then let's out a loud shout as he fires round after round with semi auto on, stopping at his sixth shot. "Fuck!" He went into the running idle dark MRAP's driver seat, tossing the duffel bag in the back. He rests his head on the wheel, ripping off his hardened mask, but keeping on his balaclava. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" With each shout, he stomps on the dashboard at the empty passenger's seat. There lies Patterson's rifle and above the seat hung her own and her sister's charm necklaces and dog tags. On the dashboard was pinned a laminated photo of his whole squad. As he looked at it, he sighs, then got out the vehicle for a moment.

...

Rei was leaning back on the cashier counter, looking outside with her rifle across her chest. She, like the others, was wearing a plastic raincoat and the end of her rifle's barrel covered with a single sticky condom.

"I'm telling you idiots, the jerk left us", Saya says, as if she's been saying repeatedly. "Get it through your thick skulls; we literally _just_ met the guy. Did you think we can actually trust him on coming back when he said 'Hey, I'll be back'?"

Takashi lets out a sigh, nodding in agreement. "Well, we're not too far from our neighborhood. We'll head there and look for Rei's-..."

Rei shushes him as light were seen glowing outside, growing brighter and brighter at the side. Everyone but Rei took cover, so Takashi pulls her down behind the counter. "Stay hidden, who know's who the hell that is."

The sound of a squeaking stop was heard just outside the door, then the door opening to bring in the loud noise of rainfall. "Shit, did they leave me like that?" Tucker's clear voice says quietly in the eerily quiet mart. "Fuck..." A loud sigh was then heard.

"Mister?" Alice spoke, peering out from behind an aisle.

Tucker's eyes from the eyesight of his balaclava lit up just a bit like a light switch from depression and sorrow to relief and joy. "Hey there, little one. Where's everyone else?"

Rei stood up, waving at him nervously, then out came everyone else.

"Great", Tucker booms out, clasping his hands together, then points his thumbs behind him from over his shoulders. "I picked up my ride I left a bit ago, so hop in and we'll be there in no time. Shizuka, can you drive?"

Shizuka nods with a smile. "Mhm!"

"Shit, I was actually joking about that... You sure?"

"Yeah, she can drive", Takashi answers.

"Where the hell did you even-... You know what, never mind. File in, ladies and gentlemen."

The teenagers walks to the door, finding themselves looking into the rear doors of the large dark vehicle, seeing seats of three at each side in the interior. It was a bit more spacious than the usual MRAP 6x6, since it was manufactured by Alpha Providence. Once by one, each teen climbs inside as Shizuka went around to the driver's seat and Tucker going to passenger's. As Shizuka climbs inside, and sets her hands on the wheel, she found four masks on the dashboard, one of them being Tucker's.

"Who's are those", Shizuka asks. Everyone in the back looks over to the front, curious to hear this answer.

"My friends'." His answer was dead simple. "Let's get going. Takashi, lead Shizuka and tell her which street to take." He then rests back, holding a map over the head rest of his seat. "Here's the map of the area if you get lost."

"How helpful of you", Saya mutters, grabbing the map. Saeko and Kohta closes the rear door as Zeke jumps in.

"Shit, I didn't even know you had a dog", Tucker says aloud, looking over to the back.

Saya gave Tucker a glare. "Watch your mouth."

Finally, the vehicle had gone into motion.

...

"Hold", Tucker orders, seeing a woman ahead before anyone else. The vehicle slows to a stop, making the woman look to face the vehicle. She had wore a worried look, but her body gesture gave off hints that she was about to run off. "Stay here." He grabs his hard mask and straps it on, then steps out with his rifle raised. Everyone looks out the windshield, seeing Tucker approach the woman armed with a spear. His rifle was raises at her, the muffled exchange of shouting heard to the teenager's ears.

"That's...", Takashi says, his eyes wide. He and Rei hurries out the back, aiming their weapons at Tucker. "Hey, wait!"

Though, once they got into the visibility of Tucker and Rei's mother, they had been talking while shaking hands. Rei's mother wore a smile and Tucker scratches the back of his head, letting his rifle hang by the sling.

"You know this chick", Tucker asks from over his shoulder. "She's another smoking babe looking for help."

Rei blushes. "That's my mother!" She then hurries to Kiriko Miyamoto, hugging her at the charge.

Kiriko caught her happily, hugging back tightly with a relieving look. "Oh, I'm so glad you made it! It looks like Komuro is with you." She looks to Takashi, giving him a smile and wave.

Takashi returns the gesture with a smile. Behind him, everyone else emerges and greets Kiriko.

"Oh my, it looks like you have a band of survivors", Kiriko says in amazement.

Shizuka waves from the car door, and Saeko bowing to Kiriko. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Miyamoto."

"You're so kind, nice to meet you too. Honestly, I thought you all were a group of thugs with those weapons."

Rei looks to her mother, stepping back and waving her arms. "No, it's nothing like that! We just-..."

"Well, of course, when the shit hits the fan, you've gotta do what you can to survive. These bastards wouldn't let me back in after I was doing a run, so I was close to breaking down the door for that sake."

Tucker looks to the barricaded house, then calls out. "Hey, we're getting you guys outta here! There's an evacuation going down soon, so I suggest you get your asses out here!"

Saya looks to Tucker as the word 'evacuation' was spoken with suspicion.

A barrel of a shotgun pokes through the barricade at Tucker, who was just a foot away from the barricade. "That's nonsense! We won't listen to a cosplaying hick pretending to be some masked vigilante!"

"That little piece of-!"

"We've got a problem", Kohta announces, aiming his rifle down to the street behind him. "There's multiple targets of 'them' at our 12 o'clock."

"Shit", Takashi curses. "Run away with us, Miyamoto. We're going to a safe spot of his to stay clear of the night. We'll be safe."

"That's some invitation, Komuro", Kiriko says, all flushed. "But I'll accept."

Tucker gave the shotgun barrel a look, then looks to the MRAP. "We're bugging out. We don't have the room nor patience to bring these guys along." His mission was to save all he can, no matter what. Was it truly because they had no time or room? "Bottom line. Let's get going."

Everyone then piles into the back and Tucker taking the passenger seat. "Drive on, I'll tell you where to go."

"So, what about this evacuation plan", Saya asks, then suddenly everyone became interested.

"Like I've said..." Tucker removes his masks, then looks over to the group in the back. "We'll sit down and talk about it at my spot." He looks to Kiriko, then to Shizuka."There's some drinks there. You two are up for it?"

Pushing aside all seriousness, the two women nods in agreement. "Absolutely", they both say simultaneously. The high schoolers all wore a look of disbelief at the three adults.

"Is he a hotty, or what", Kiriko whispers to the girls at the back.

Saya rolls her eyes, but the others nods.

"Oh come on, Takagi. I know you think so, too."

Saya now blushes, hiding her face as she crosses her arms beneath her breasts. "So what?!"

"You admit it, then", Rei exclaims with a giggle.

Soon, as if they had reached their destination in no time, they stopped in front of a house, the surrounding walls barricades with furniture like the house from earlier. "I've got this pieced together by duct tape and some cord from my TWC-3 grapple line." Tucker held up his wrist dock computer fitted on his left forearm. "Now, we can settle in. Me first... Who knows if a dumbass got in."

Tucker hops out, grabbing all the masks and duffel bag, then climbs over the wall. Soon, he waves over his hand and motions Shizuka to park to the side. Once she did, he closes the gate and led everyone inside with the other remaining gear. The interior of the house was bigger than it looks on the outside, and a bit spacious. Maybe because all the furniture was tossed outside as a blockade. Tucker had gone to the living room, dropping the duffel bag and setting his rifle against the wall. He then unzips his vest and drops the thing down, which made it look heavier. The part of his Tru Spec black digital shirt that goes over his abdomen was almost skin tight, showing off the texture of his chest. His shirt was dripping, so he peels the thing off just over his abs, but quickly lets it back down as he remembers his company.

"I'm soaked, sorry", Tucker apologizes with a sheepish chuckle. "So I'm headed up to change out. Let me know if you guys need anything. For now, settle in. There's some chow in the kitchen, so help yourselves." And like that, he hurries upstairs with the duffel bag.

Rei sighs dreamily with her mother, Saeko glancing elsewhere to shake off the image she had just seen, and Saya pouting a bit with her hands covering Alice's eyes.

"His chest looks hard like a rock..." Kiriko mutters to herself.

Takashi lets out a sigh. _Maybe I should have a talk with the guy_, he thought to himself. _Well, he did help us out a ton... Even got us a place to settle down. But there's a lot he's not telling us. Who were his 'friends'? Is he straight up military or not? What is this evacuation plan? What else is he hiding? Maybe a talk later tonight when everyone asleep is good enough... _Finally, he settles with everyone on the floor, sitting around and playing with Zeke as Kiriko and Saeko goes into the kitchen, talking about their methods of culinary skills. Rei looks down at Alice playing with Zeke as if she was blindly thinking, and Saya teasing Alice playfully on how little she is. _I have to make sure we make it out of this alive, just us..._

...

_Don't forget to drop down those reviews! I'm curious to know what my dear reader thinks and what I'm missing, need, etc. Don't hold back on it. Next chapter will get a bit sexual (maybe more than a bit) and just goofing around. There may a cliff hanger too... Maybe, maybe not. Who knows? ;) Read on, guys. Hope you enjoyed._

_-The Red Merc_


	4. The Haul

_Hey guys, so I finished HCLI in Roanopur. Check it out if you'd like. This chapter is like another building block to the relationships. And like I said, these will gradually become lengthy. Next chapter will explain a bit of some of Tucker's gear, if you get confused later in this chapter, so no worries._

_ALSO! There is a poll in this chapter's review. Type up your review, then below that, type up your decision (down at the end of this chapter). I'll return to it in a week. _

_Read on and enjoy, ladies and gentlemen. Read on and enjoy..._

...

Tucker sat on the large bed of what seems to be the main bedroom of the house. He sat there with a new set of his combat uniform, this time his sleeves rolled up perfectly to his biceps as would a Marine to his/her uniform. In front of him on the desk at the other side of the room lies the three masks and dog tags, which he stares intently at. "Heckler...", he mutters to himself, then finally stood up and head back downstairs with his duffel back slung over his shoulder. In the living was almost empty except for Zeke watching Kohta putting his AR-10 back together after giving it a good clean.

"Good clean, bud", Tucker compliments Kohta as he studies the weapon closely, which made him jump a bit. "Where the hell you learned that?"

As Kohta fixes his glasses, he replies, "Um, yeah, thanks. I learned it from an ex-Delta Force operator when I was in America."

"Seriously? Damn, no fuckin' way." He was indeed surprised by hearing this because receiving training by a special forces operator, one that is considered one of the most elite of the elite in America's military, is a tough deal. "You're a lucky bastard."

Kohta lights up then shook Tucker's hand aggressively. "Thank you, thank you! Hearing this from a mercenary of _the _Alpha Providence is just...!"

"Wait, how the hell did you know who I work for?" He drew his hand back, giving Kohta a questionable look. Alpha Providence is rarely seen in action by the public, so almost all people does not know such a group exists. Most of their operations are given by countries of all sorts for their dirtiest works, mainly to get the pay in and action out of the way, aggressively and discreetly. And if they must, they will declare war on that country if word of their actions are given out.

"Oh don't worry Senpai, I won't tell a soul."

"Senpai, huh?" Tucker scratches the back of his head with a soft smile. "Well, I'll leave you be for now. I'll see about everyone else." As he turns, he bumps into Rei, who stumbles back a bit despite Tucker keeping his composure. "Shit, my bad. You're good?" He caught her quickly by her arm, helping her stand up.

"Y-Yeah", Rei says as she opens her eyes, glancing over Tucker. She was silent for a moment as her eyes travel along his tattoo on his right arm; the American flag, a rifle with a bayonet, knives, a few more skulls, and shell casings, then finally meets with his eyes as she hurriedly spoke. "Um... What tattoo is that?" She tries to make some small talk.

"Oh, this?" He looks down at his arm. "It's what I got during the Marines." Kohta pokes his head up at that statement. "Just some knives, casings, skulls, even a skull at my shoulder wearing this digital camo helmet. Stands for what I always thought I was born to do." His eyes had grown soft as it travels up to Rei's. "Anyway, cutie, go on and take a seat for a moment in here. I'm gonna go on ahead and talk my talk to everyone."

She nods with a blush, going to sit beside Zeke and pet him gently while Tucker had gone to the kitchen. In there, Saeko and Kiriko were cooking at the stove while Saya helps Shizuka with the dishes and Takashi standing by the fridge.

"Typical women work...", Tucker mutters quietly to himself, then spoke aloud. "Alright guys, come on down into the living for a small little meeting. Finish up, though. Don't wanna rush things."

Everyone glances at Tucker, then replies with a nod and "Sure".

"Takashi? I'd like to have a one on one with you."

Takashi was a bit confused by the sudden call, but went on with it and followed Tucker out into the storming, dark afternoon at the porch, where they barely were caught at with rain. "Yeah? What is it?"

Tucker stares at the heavy rainfall in the front yard, then drew a deep breath. "You're the leader of the group, right? Or that chick, Saeko?"

"Yeah, I'm the leader according to everyone, why?"

He rubs the back of his neck then crosses his arms. "Listen, I am not here to kill your friends or put them in any danger. I don't know if that is what you think or not, but I want to reassure you on that. My job right now is to get you kids outta here in one piece, as well as any other survivors willing to come along. Understand?"

Takashi nods slowly, giving Tucker a studious look. "Yeah."

"Now, listen closely. Keep your kids down because this road trip will take quite a haul. My guys are at the shores of this damn island and even at some good bases like Okinawa and one in Tokyo. Honestly, I don't know if my guys up at Tokyo is alive. But anyway, what I am going to tell everyone is just that. I have forces nearby but we are still restricted in the air by your country's SDF. Whenever we are given an okay, everyone that is now in hiding will call in air support like crazy fucks. That'll be my word for now."

"That's it?"

"Yeah. Oh, and we, the Marines, and SDF are leading the evacs. No longer do the people have control. It's all military just because one of us had to fuck up."

"What do you mean you fucked up?"

"I didn't say I did. And even so, I wouldn't know."

Takashi grimaces a bit, then steps inside. Tucker follows with a sigh, soon finding everyone seated on the floor of the living room. Everyone had just began eating, even Zeke with his own dog food salvaged from the kitchen.

"Everyone, listen up", Tucker began, then crosses his arms. "First off, bathroom doesn't work. Don't bother fixing it. Anyway, on a serious matter, this country of yours, as well as several others, is filled with military forces. I'm just a man from a downed squad, a squad of a big organization of a relief force. We are one of the military groups leading your evacuation, including the Marines and Self Defense Force. The SAT are holding an airfield nearby, so I'm planning on dropping you guys off there. A personal friend of mine may be there, so she'll take care of ya. After that, I'm off to regroup with my guys. That is the jist of things for now, so-..."

"So you're telling us that you are cleaning up your own mess", Saya asks in the middle of Tucker's speech.

"_Our_ mess? You're a little skeptical, are you?"

"And you're hiding something, are you?"

"Damn, we got a bitch alert."

"That's enough", Kiriko says with a stern tone. "We should listen to what he has to say then we can ask questions later."

"Actually, that's about it", Tucker says to Kiriko. "Any questions?"

Small running footsteps were heard along the stairs, then down came Alice with the bloodied masks in her hands, as if she was holding bundles of used, heavy napkins. "Are these all yours?"

As everyone turns to look, Tucker looks at the young girl with a straight face.

"No, they're not", Tucker answers softly.

"Then who are-", Rei was about to ask, but remembered when he mentioned a downed squad. She gave him a look as Alice went to give Tucker all the masks.

"Are these people you killed", Alice asks quietly, but was pulled back by Saya.

Tucker stares down at the partially bloodied masks, then sat down himself. "Maybe so... These are my friends' masks. My squad."

Everyone stares at Tucker, who only looks down at a mask designed with etched symbols and dirtied with blood, as if waiting for the rest of the story.

"We were coming from a failed evac site. One of our vehicles crashed and became full of infected. The one I was in was with my closest people, and we were surrounded. About hour before I saved your asses, I watched them all get torn to pieces and kill themselves... All for the goddamn sake for someone to make it out of that area alive. And I was it..." He was now silent for a few seconds. "So yeah, maybe I did kill my friends."

He looks down at a mask with a name etched into it: Heckler. He now felt the dog tags he had ripped from Heckler before he died around his neck with his own dog tags.

Shizuka wraps her arms around Tucker's left arm as Kiriko pushes a spare bowl of food in front of him.

"Eat up and relax", Kiriko suggest with a warm smile. "Let's enjoy this time together."

Tucker stares down at his given bowl of food, remembering all that went in his head after Heckler blown himself up. _No more pain... No more people to get close to. No more like this... _He had made his final decision of this new start with the acceptance of the given chow. "Thanks, guys. Looks like I'm in your debt for something you guys don't even know", he says with a tender smile.

Saya blushes then continues eating, Rei and Kiriko doing the same. Kohta and Takashi were just fazed that such a laid back, yet military material guy can smile like that. Shizuka and Alice returns the gesture, and Saeko eating with her back now to Tucker.

"Um... What is it? Do I got shi-... I mean crap on my face or something?"

Everyone now let's out a small chuckle and giggle, giving Tucker the OK to eat with everyone else at ease.

...

The afternoon had just grown to evening. The rain even settled down to light drizzles, but the sky was still clouded thickly. As the group drives down the road through the suburban road, Saya was reading the map and Shizuka being the driver with everyone but Tucker in the back. Instead, he had taken the gunner's turrent with his mask already fitted to his face. He watches Saya read the map as she held an annoying look, then sighs to himself.

"Ditch the map", Tucker says to Saya before ripping the map from her grasp. "Press that button on the dashboard and prepare to be amazed."

Saya frowns at Tucker as he took the map, but did as told. Once she pressed the button with a good amount of pressure, the dashboard cover folds down below the dashboard, then reveals a monitor in it's wake that had just turned on. As it turned on, it displayed an HD bright screen of their GPS position, which had just locked on to. "How is this thing even still working", Saya asks as she became interested in this technology. "I would figure the EMP blast fried this thing."

"Well, we got satellites up above constantly controlled by powerful, high speed processing AIs and the batteries this vehicle runs on is top brass from your friendly neighborhood mercenary group."

"No way. That's a load of BS."

"Yes way", Tucker replies with a chuckle. "There is no BS."

"What does BS mean", Alice asks.

Kiriko smiles as she plays with Alice to avoid the question. Tucker went back up behind the Browning .50 Cal MG and glances around while swiveling the gun around to keep the sights everywhere his eyes glances to. There were more of 'them' here and there, but not much to worry about.

"Multiple hostiles in our area", Tucker says quietly. "Shizuka, keep your eyes dead on the road for any of 'them'."

"Right", Shizuka replies. "Where are we going anyway?"

"To a toy store that's not even far. My squad and I stocked up there once, but had to bug out to press on to an evac site. We left some goodies behind, too, so that place is well stocked."

"Turn right here", Saya says to Shizuka, still looking at the bright monitor to study it some more. "Then keep straight ahead. We should be there in just a minute."

"Got it", Shizuka replies. "Man, I'm getting tired already..."

"Once we get there you can fall asleep as you'd like."

Rei looks up to Tucker. "Hey, um... We're looking for our parents, too. I have to find my father and Takashi has to find both his parents."

Tucker slaps his gloved hand against the roof of the MRAP with a curse after hearing that. "Alright, alright. Sorry about that, but my schedule is tight and hearing news that late... Eh, oh well I guess. Fuck this schedule and fuck my ROE."

"Hey, watch your mouth around the little one", Saya shouts.

As the MRAP rolls to a stop in the large parking lot right in front of the large toy store, the wind and the rain began to pick up a little. Tucker rises out onto the roof of the MRAP then jumps down in front of the rear doors, where he opens them and spoke up. "I need Kohta and sword girl on me. We're going to clear this place out first before we let anyone else in here. Takashi, you, Rei, and Saya cover the lot. There's LASH headset in the dashboard compartment area, which is located right below the monitor. Just fit it on and test it out; the channel is already linked to my mask."

"What about me", Kiriko asks.

"Sorry, but to Rei, you're VIP. Can't let a VIP get injured in this sweep. Who knows who or what is in this building since I bugged out of here."

Kiriko nods slowly, agreeing as she stood by her daughter.

"Don't worry, mom", Rei says to Kiriko. "They've got this."

Tucker grins thinly, then looks to Saeko. "Sword girl, I suggest this puppy here." He unholsters one of his P226 pistols from his leg holster and hands it to Saeko, who took it hesitantly. "We'll be breaching, so having a gun beats having a sword for this kind of thing."

Saeko looks up at Tucker, then down at the pistol she held on both her palms. It was heavier than she expected. In fact, it was the first time she held such a weapon, and probably the first she will ever fire. "Er... Right..." She tries to study the gun a bit, leaving Tucker watching her with his arms folded with his eyebrow cocked under his mask.

As Tucker unstraps his mask and sets it strapped to his hip, leaving his balaclava on, he stood in front of her and asks, "Do you even know how to use the thing, sword girl?"

Saeko looks up at Tucker. "No, I do not", she replies with a shake of her head. "I've never even touched such a thing."

He sighs as he scratches the back of his head. "Hold it up and aim it to the wall." She did as told, aiming it to the store away from everyone, where they were in the MRAP to avoid the rain. "Now, keep your eye through that little sight. Always aim your weapon where your eyes move, always. It makes killing your enemy quicker and easier. Now for your posture..." He went around behind Saeko, taking his hands to rest on hers with his hard chest pressed against her back. "Fuck, my mask is getting damp." He peels his mask off and tosses it aside, then rests his hands back on her's. She blushes a bit of the lesson, but kept her posture. "Now, you want to spread your legs apart a bit more. Keep one leg back that fits you most, and the other just as is. Your arm that is supporting your aim under your grip should be bent just a little." He helps her by moving her arm back just a little to bend it a bit by her elbow. She became even more deeply flustered as she felt his crotch rub against her bottom.

Kohta watches with a drizzling nosebleed, which he covers quickly. Having to witness such a listen is what seems to be a sin for him to do. But, even so, he could see the tension in Tucker's eyes as well, even the sight of his cheeks turning a bit red. Yes, Tucker was fully aware of the position.

"A-And then what do I do to fire", Saeko asks with a shudder.

"Take off your safety, which is here", Tucker answers, using his index finger to guide her's to the safety switch at the side of the sidearm, which switches it off. "Then, always remember this." His voice became softer close to her ear. "Never take your safety off unless needed. And never aim it at something you're not suppose to shoot, no matter what."

Saeko nods with a shiver, having slight difficulty with that simple movement.

"Now, the gun is going to kick back a bit. So, use your firing hand to keep it still as you fire. That doesn't mean to tense up. But to let it keep it in place, you know what I mean?"

Saeko nods once more, both of their bodies becoming a bit wet from the drizzling rain. She could even see their reflection of the window; Tucker behind her closely with his chin rested on her shoulder and his arms adjacent to her's with his gloved hands on her own hands. "Y-Yeah. Basically to keep the drift less difficult."

"There you go." Tucker grins just a bit, then moves her arms down to aim her pistol at the ground as he took the safety back on. "Got it all, sword girl?"

"Yes", Saeko replies, relaxing with her backside rubbing up against Tucker. "You can call me Saeko."

"Saeko, huh? Tucker."

As they look into each other's eyes, they both realize the closure and atmosphere, then move away from each other.

"Hey, are you guys ready", Saya shouts from the MRAP. "We don't have all day!"

"Hey, military guy", Takashi's voice says in the earpiece of Tucker's mask. "Testing, testing. Is it working?"

"This is Delta Tango, copy all", Tucker says into the mouth of his mask after taking it from his hip. "Sit back and watch the perimeter. Will conduct an aggressive breach and clear for a good shower and nice jams, followed by a good night's sleep and fresh start in the morning. Keep traffic open for incoming orders, out." He flips Saya off then straps his mask to his face, his hair exposed at the back of his head since he tossed his balaclava away. "Stack up and ready to breach on me, you two." Kohta, snapping out of it, went to Tucker as he and Saeko went to the main door, both behind the mercenary. "Now, on the tap of my mask, I'm moving in. After I give the all-clear, both of you come in with your guns up and stay on me, got it? We're sweeping the place up."

"Got it", Kohta replies, taking off the safety of his M1A1 rifle and Saeko doing the same to the P229.

So, Tucker taps the forehead of his mask twice, then faces the door and kicks it in hard before rushing inside with his HK416 scanning the front area. "Clear."

Saeko and Kohta now rushes in one after another with their guns up and scanning the area. So far, the place was clear in the midst of darkness. As they carefully tread along the aisles, Tucker notices the small rearrangements he had made with his original squad. Though, he didn't say a word. As they near the back, Tucker came to a stop then raises his gloved fist up with his elbow bent at a 90 degree angle, signaling everyone to stop and crouch with him, which they did. Both Kohta and Saeko were now on high alert.

Tucker's eye sockets of his mask flashes a dim blue light as his eyes skims up above at the dark cat walk. Then, as the dim blue light dies down just a little, the vision his mask gave him was a FLIR sight. Now, he can clearly see the three men in black, white, and grey up above stalking Tucker and his followers down below, and up ahead were two others. Since their bodies gave off heat, it's concluded that they are alive. And armed. So, without hesitation, he aims his weapon up above and fires several bursts, which causes them to fire back and Kohta and Saeko diving behind the aisle for cover. Tucker steps back, unloading more rounds and hitting two of the men up above. Once he backs up between Kohta and Saeko, he took the cover with Saeko and dumps out his magazine.

"Both of you, cover fire", Tucker shouts as he lays his weapon on the floor. "Kohta, hit the dude up top! I'm heading in!"

Kohta nods at the command, then aims upward, automatically aligning his sights on the man's skull as he shouts out "Die already" to them, then fires to interrupt the man's ranting.

"Fuck, they're gone up top", one of the two shouts that were on the ground. "We gotta get the hell outta here!"

Tucker ran at full sprint toward towards their direction with his MKII knife unsheathed from his shoulder, then tackles the one that just spoke down to the ground with the knife already dug into his stomach. The second guy panics, trembling as he took aim of his shotgun to Tucker. But as Tucker looks up at the man with the dimly glowing eye sockets of the mask, the man panics some more, trembling more violently as his finger tries to find the trigger. But with a blink of an eye, Tucker jumps up to the man and slams his leg to his side, which sent him against a stack of Nerf guns. The power in that kick knocked air out of the man's breath and even broke a rib or two. But it wasn't over. Tucker held the man by his neck and sent his fist into his face.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Now already the seventh.

He ended the bombardment of punches with a strong knee to the stomach. The man stabbed earlier grabbed Tucker by the back of his vest and threw him to the ground, ripping the knife out from his own stomach and falling atop of him. Tucker held the man's hands gripping the blade from piercing his exposed neck, then forces the man to stab the blade to the ground right by his head, then elbowed him in the face before taking the knife and sending it up under his chin, which he now choke on his own blood with wide, shocked eyes. Now, Tucker unstraps his mask and looks to the second man on the floor, crawling to him to straddle him by his waist to hold him down. Next, he slams the front of his own mask down on the poor guy's face over and over and over and over again until it looked almost like a bloody bowl of soup. Tucker breathes heavily to catch his breath as he gradually came to a stop, looking down at his dirty work with a smirk, then stood up and wipes the blood off of his mask onto the pummeled guy's jacket before putting it back on.

Kohta and Saeko were behind him, watching him the entire time. As he turns to face them, they had a look of sympathy or sadness... Maybe a more worrisome look? But it interrupted as Tucker whips out his 92A1 pistol from the holster of his other hip and fires a shot aside down through the shelf, followed by the sound of a thump.

"Now it's all clear", Tucker says, finally catching a breath and slipping his sidearm into his holster. He presses his finger below the right jaw of his mask then spoke, "This is Delta Tango, area is seized. Move everyone inside, over."

After a few seconds, Takashi's voice came up. "Great, we're on our way. It's raining cats and dogs out here."

He looks to Saeko and Kohta, giving them a nod of approval. "You guys did fantastic. Kohta got a confirm kill and Saeko got two assists. Amazing, you two." He leans back against the shelf of Nerf guns, bending over a bit with his hands to his knees. "Oorah. Oo-fucking-rah..." His hands trembles a bit, which he tries to shake off. He could even feel the small grin on his lips, which he turns that upside frown back downside.

Kohta and Saeko exchange glances at one another, their knees even feeling like jell-o by the sudden gunfight they had. And how Tucker had taken out the last two... Or three guys.

"Hey, so about that shower", Rei, Saya, Shizuka, and Kiriko calls from the entrance, followed by a bark from Zeke and Takashi struggling with the duffel bags he drags in. That was Tucker's cue to dump the bodies out in the back where the dumpster idles with the help of Kohta and Saeko.

...

_How was that? Heh, so my plans for next chapter will get a bit steamy. Got a shower scene, a little secret brief, the adults getting a bit tipsy (if ya know what I mean), and a lemon scene between Shizuka and Tucker. Or maybe Saeko? Huh... I'll let you guys choose for this one. I'll give it a week! So in your review, leave down "Tucker x whoever". Whoever you want. Sorry, but Takashi and Rei has to stay together, as well as Saya and Kohta with their difficult relationship. And infidelity with Kiriko won't be accepted by Rei. Unless you guys are into the 'secret lover' thing. And no, I WILL NOT ALLOW A STEAMY LOLI SCENE. Anyway, this chapter's review will be a poll for who gets Tucker tonight! Don't forget, guys. See ya in about a week._


	5. Enjoy The Little Things

_I'm thinking on a Red Hood and The Outlaws. Or maybe just Red Hood himself. He seems badass. So it MAY be a thing. Not so sure yet. Anyway, I'm kinda going through the plot and stuff with Monster Musume as well as this here. And also that sequel of Jormungand/Black Lagoon. This one, as said, will get steamy and blah blah blah. Let me stop talking and head on with this._

...

As the girls had left to the back of the store where the worker's showers were located, Tucker the other two guys were rearranging the aisles to make it seem more spacious and home-like. They even barricaded the doors a bit, but not too much for they had to make their leave in the upcoming morning.

"So, guys", Tucker began with a huff after taking off his mask. "Think the ladies are into this masked shooter?"

Takashi rolls his eyes as he pushes a shelf up against the front door, though Kohta glows awkwardly.

"Well, you are stealing them for yourself", Kohta says sheepishly.

Tucker laughs at the answer, then picks up the duffel bag and tosses it to the other three he and his squad had left behind earlier. Atop of the duffel bags, he unzips and unbuckles his vest, dropping the heavy thing down with the ammo clips clattering against the floor from inside the pouches. "You guys are some funny fucks. Hey, I've got an idea with these shelves: toss out the toys and shit so we can use them as beds. And don't worry, I've got something to soften the spots. Don't worry about some of these lights and running water, too. We found a backup generator down in the basement of this place, so everything works A-OK."

Takashi and Kohta blinks as their minds processes his idea, then went to work.

Kiriko sinks into the large tub with Shizuka, both giving a pleased sigh. The area was surprisingly a clean shower room with shower cubicles and two tubs. As the room clouded up with steam, Rei, Saeko, Takagi, and Alice went into the shower room with Kiriko and Shizuka looking over their shoulders to the teenage girls.

"Oh, it may seem some we're not the only girls with adult features, huh", Kiriko says teasingly with her palm to her cheek. Her hair was tied up in a bun, as like Shizuka's hair.

Rei blushes, then wraps her arms around her breasts as an attempt to cover whatever her mother was staring at. "M-Mom!"

"What? Oh my, it even looks like Takagi-san had grown!" Kiriko's eyes had grown wide at the sight of Saya. "I would have never known you would grow so much..."

Saya blushes heavily, then storms into a shower cubicle with the curtain swung to a close.

"Oh that's not all", Shizuka says with a giggle. "Busujima-san even has a well developed body!"

Kiriko looks to Saeko, who tries to hide what she could of her body with her arms. "My, my, you're right! So slender and athletic. She has some nice legs and even a large bust to fit in with it!"

Alice giggles as Saeko does the same Saya did, hurrying over to the nearest shower cubicle.

"Y-You're embarrassing me", Saeko says to Kiriko from her cubicle with kindness.

"Pardon me, I'm just trying acting like your age is all."

"Mom", Rei groans aloud again as she washes her hair in the cubicle beside Saya.

Saya helps clean Alice, Saeko looking through which shampoo to use, and Rei looking over her shower curtain to her mother and Shizuka as they talk.

"Jeez, those are huge", Kiriko says with a gasp to Shizuka, nearly choking. "Just how big are those?!"

Shizuka looks down at her large, wet, soapy breasts then held them up to the surface of the warm water they share. "I usually wear a J cup."

"J?!" Kiriko's eyes widens, then she looks down at her own breasts in defeat. She glances back up at Shizuka, then dives after her, taking her breasts tightly in her grasp. "These can't be real!"

Rei's eyebrow twitches as she watches, then goes about with her shower.

"It's just like you back then, do you agree", Saeko asks from across her cubicle.

Rei looks over her shoulder to Saeko, then rolls her eyes. Yet, she was right. When they had stayed at Shizuka's friend's place, the same exact thing had happened between Rei and Shizuka. But having to witness her mother do that to Shizuka... It was embarrassing. Did she look that embarrassing when she did that to Shizuka back then?

"Looks like the girls are having a good time", Takashi says, looking towards the back after hanging a large blanket to cover an aisle. There were three aisles: one for the girls to sleep in, one for the guys, and the middle was an uncovered, wide aisle for any side thing to gather at. He was impressed with the idea he and the other two guys had came up with. Too bad they had to leave it all in a matter of hours. A yell was heard inside the store, bringing Takashi to grab his Ithaca and rush towards the office where the masculine shriek was heard. "What's going on?!"

It was Tucker leaning over a miniature fridge. "They have fucking White Wine! GODDAMN ICE COLD WHITE WINE!"

Takashi glooms over the fact that Tucker had become over excited over two bottles of alcohol. "Don't bother on drinking if you plan on leading us."

"Lead you?" He calms down just like that, looking over to Takashi with a soft grin. "Isn't that you're job? I'm just guiding you all to safety. _You're _job is to lead your group."

"What do you mean by that? You saved us, so aren't you in charge?"

"Pfft!" Tucker chuckles a bit with his arms crossed. "Hell no. Think of it like this: I'm a guide of your squad. While I'm taking you all to evac outta here, you're the team leader leading your troops and the guide to combat effectiveness. Understand?"

"Huh..." Takashi thought over it for a moment, then finally agrees. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Good. Oh, and that chick with the orange hair... Rei, right?"

Tucker mentioning the girl Takashi had been depressed over brought him to curiosity of why he would bring her up. "Yeah? What about Rei?"

"She's got the hots for me, bro. It's so obvious from her."

Takashi tightens his fists.

"I mean, the girls are head over heels for this Alpha and Devil Dog, but not as obvious as Rei. And, hell, her mom even caught on quick. Like mother like daughter, am I right? But, hey..."

Just as Takashi felt the burning need of starting a fight, he listens to what Tucker had to say next.

"Keep that Rei chick close. I see how you feel when Rei gawks over me. I've got your back, bud." Tucker held a thumb up. "I'll be sure she _drags_ _you_ to bed. And her mom is married, I get it. I don't do that infidelity crap. I'm old enough to notice how bad it is to come in between a married couple. Hell, I'm not going back there again." He steps towards Takashi, then took his hand in a firm handshake. "But that nurse... Damn, she's got that body! She's like, what, in her twenties? Nothing this twenty-two year-old can't handle. Might even grab up Glasses Girl, cause she looks like she has that mouth. And even that and bust to go with those glasses and figure?! Heh, enough of that for now. Had room to speak of Saeko, but not now. Just focus on _your_ role as leader. I've got my own matters to worry about. That's all I really had to say."

"Yeah, we lose ourselves when it comes to that stuff sometimes", Takashi says with a nervous chuckle, shaking his hand gently.

Tucker smiles down at the kid. "I've got a few upgrades for you guys. Come on." He motions Takashi to follow after grabbing a bottle from the fridge. He then led Takashi over to his isolated aisle where his duffel bags, masks, and vest rests. Though, it may seem that Kohta had beat them their, but only staring down at the bags with curiosity. "Hey, Kohta?"

"S-Senpai", Kohta shrieks, turning to face Tucker and Takashi. "I-I was just wondering what was all in h-here!"

Tucker laughs then went to a duffel bag. After opening up the large, green bag, he pulls out an M1014 shotgun with a variant of the M4 Super 90. Otherwise known as the Benelli M4 Super 90. Holding it in his hands and gazing up to the tip of the barrel, he began his lecture. "Semi-auto 12 gauge shotgun; gas-operated, rotating bolt with a 7+1 internal tube capable of using 2.75 shells of any sort. Just like that Ithaca of yours, load a round into the chamber on the side, then start loading up underneath. Cock back the pump once when you're completely out of ammo, then let your trigger finger fire away with a brief pause between each shot."

Kohta glows with sparkles in his eyes, his mouth gaped open with excitement at the lecture.

Tucker hands Takashi the weapon, then two boxes of Buckshot shells, each box holding 12 shells. Next up, Takashi pulls a SMG, the MP5 with a special forces variant. "This here is the MP5SFK, mainly used by the police force. 10mm rounds, semi-auto with a Sunfire 628 weaponlight system and UPM folding stock, standard curve magazines, fitted suppressor, and a standard red dot scope. Which has been... Rendered useless." He hands the weapon to Kohta. "Something for you to jerk off to."

Kohta took the weapon, and the given three magazines. "Thank you so much Senpai", he says happily. "Oh, I can't wait to test fire this bad boy!" He goes around to the guy's aisle with the supplies.

"You're sure about this", Takashi asks Tucker.

Tucker merely shrugs with a slight grin. "Nobody else is using them. So why not?"

Two shrieks were heard from the end of their aisle. As the two guys looks to the source, they found all the girls standing their with towels around their necks under their damp hair, wearing a clean set of casual clothes. Their dirtied clothes were in the washing machine of a store right beside them, which had a hole blown into their walls between the two stores. The girls walks over to Tucker and Takashi, admiring the given weapons. But, Kiriko and Shizuka were more focused on the drink Tucker held.

"So, what", Saya began, "you're not going to stock us up?"

Tucker had taken that several ways, but held up his free hand as a way to back up. "Um, well not now since I'm being bombarded. How about this; you'll wake up to your goods."

Saya rolls her eyes then led Alice out of the aisle.

"There's a place for you to sleep to the far right", Takashi calls out to Saya, who didn't respond. Though, she caught on to what he said.

Rei looks at the alcohol-thirsty adults with a nervous look. "Oh no..."

Tucker laughs as the girls tries to snatch the bottle from his grasp. "Nope, this one is mine."

"Oh, come on", Shizuka whimpers.

"You've gotta share", Kiriko cries out.

Saeko giggles at the scenery, then looks to Takashi. As she was about to say something, she went off to where Saya had left to, followed by Rei.

"Think this will turn out bad", Rei mutters to Saeko.

"Not a doubt", Saeko replies with a smile.

Takashi, being the only teenager there, retreats to the guy's aisle, then sat on a folding stool. To his side was Kohta taking the SMG weapon apart and putting it back together carefully. Takashi looks down at his newly given weapon, then grins thinly. He sets it into the bed he made at the bottom shelf besides the Ithaca, then goes into the aisle set between the girl's and guy's sleeping areas. There sat Saeko and Saya. "How's everyone holding up?"

"Good", Saya answers. "Alice was just put to sleep."

"Miyamoto is making sure she stays asleep for tomorrow", Saeko adds. "And I'm fine as well."

The three adults wanders over back to the office past their aisle with laughs and giggles.

"I don't think that's a good idea", Takashi says nervously, watching the three wander off.

"Rei's mother is married, right", Saya asks.

"Of course."

Saeko shook her head. "I have just met Rei's mother, but I believe she wouldn't allow such a thing to happen."

Tucker turns on the lights inside the office and points his thumb over his shoulder towards the fridge. "There's another in there, nice and cold."

Kiriko and Shizuka lit up as they went towards the fridge. As Shizuka took the bottle out, Kiriko groans, "Why do we have to share and you have one to yourself?"

"Finders keepers", Tucker replies with a smirk, holding his bottle up. "Losers weepers."

Shizuka pops open her bottle, then took a sip."This is so good, Miyamoto-san!"

Kiriko looks to Shizuka, then took the offered bottle and took a gulp. "Oh my..." She gave off a hiccup. "Excuse me."

Tucker chuckles then took a few sips from his bottle. He looks to a portable radio on the manager's desk, then pops open the CD tray. "You've gotta be fucking me..." He closes the tray, then plays the music. It was like a raving club music, and American at that! The music started in the middle of Bang It To The Curb by Far East Movement. "Oorah!"

The gathered teenagers minus Kohta looks over to the office where the music was playing, audible to fill the store to drain out the sound of heavy rainfall outside.

"You've gotta be kidding me", Rei says gloomly as the little lyrics and heavy bass had filled her ears.

Takashi snickers, then in came Kohta. He sat beside Takashi just as the music changes to yet another American raving music, named Jiggy by Victor Niglio.

"Why do they have this kind of music in a toy store", Saeko asks herself over the music.

"I guess the manager wanted his own time at closing hours", Saya answers for her in disgust.

Rei manages to wear a grin, then stood up. She grabs Saya's hands and pulls her up. "Come on."

"What", Saya asks, trying to pull away from Rei. "Come on with what?"

Rei giggles. "Dance!"

Saya became flustered. "Oh hell no...!"

Takashi and Kohta watches with laughter, though Saeko wanders off from being pulled in. She found Tucker's stash, then decided to lay on his rugged black tactical vest. He ran the tips of her fingers along the P229 she unconsciously brought with her. Slowly, her eyes came to a close, despite the heart thumping beats, and held the pistol to her chest between her breasts. Saya, though, had given in to Rei's need of dancing. Saya had her back to Rei's chest, grinding up and down on her. As their bodies rubs up against each other, Takashi and Kohta watches with their jaws dropped. Even Kohta had a visible nose bleed.

Shizuka was seated atop the manager's desk with the bottle in hand and Kiriko dancing to the raving music. She was dancing like she was a single, free woman spending her sweet, good time at a club. Tucker watches with his mouth gaped open just a little, then took a sip while his eyes were still on her. The music quickly transitions to Bass Down Low by Dev. The minutes of raving were passing by quick, yet slow. Shizuka giggles at Kiriko, then joins in. Their bodies intertwines. Beads of sweat dribbles down their bodies after such a great shower. Their breasts presses against each other, and there are some instances where it looks as though they'd get exposed with such loose clothing.

Tucker took a large gulp of his sizzling, alcoholic drink, then went and joins in with his arms wrapped around the two females. The girls didn't care, even Kiriko. Perhaps she was too intoxicated to even notice what was going on beside the fact that the adults were grinding their bodies against each other's. Kiriko grabs Shizuka by her hand and led her to the desk, sitting her up with her legs apart then places her back side between Shizuka's bare, smooth-looking legs.

Saeko, not being able to fall asleep due to the music, had sat up and looks to the direction of the heavy-bass music. With a sigh, she rests the P229 pistol on Tucker's vest then wanders off towards the office. On her way there, she caught a quick glimpse of Rei and Saya with their bodies banging against each other to the music. So, she picked up her pace past that aisle in order to not get caught and presumptuously dragged in. Finally, she made it to the office's door, but froze as she caught sight of the adults through the crack of the door

"Holy shit...", Tucker mutters at the scenery, then went over to the ass-shaking Kiriko and slips off his combat shirt, tossing it aside because of the intense body heat. He now dances against Kiriko who leans back against Shizuka as the male's and female's bodies rubs up against each other. Kiriko places her hand on Tucker's bare, wet, well-built chest, her eyes glancing down at his fully visible sleeve tattoo. His dog tags jingles with each flick of their bodies. He rests his hand on Kiriko's shoulder as he looks into her eyes with a partying look and smile, then she had lost it. She had became as damp as Shizuka by the friction and sight, moaning and gasping by the movement of their dancing and bodily contact. Shizuka even had a glint in her eyes of wanting more than just the sexual dance. Even the stalking Saeko had the slight need of just walking in.

As Saya was bent over with her hands gripping onto the shelf for support and Rei grinding her crotch against Saya's backside, Takashi held his hands to cover what stiffens between his legs and Kohta just plain out staring while holding his nose for any further blood drops.

"This is quite the sight, huh Komuro", Kohta asks Takashi, his voice sounding congested.

"Oh yeah, you've got that right", Takashi replies with a chuckle. With the view, he began to relax a little. Honestly, he wanted to join in. This was the first time they had gotten _this_ comfortable in days. So why not? He would if we wanted to, but... He just couldn't bring himself into doing such a thing, considering his role in the group. He figured he should mature up for the sake of their survival. And because of that, he had to set an example. Maybe next time, perhaps? Or maybe now for the hell of it...

The music had switched to the dirtiest of them all, Dirty Vibe by Skrillex. As this had gone on, the two teenage lets out their laughter. Beads of sweat bounces off their bodies with each jerk of their hips. Saya had stood up and looks to Rei from over her shoulder while wrapping her arms loosely around her head. They stare at each other whilst violation each other's bodies through the sexual tensity of the music. Kohta couldn't take it, so he got up and hurries to the guy's aisle while blood seeps through his fingers from his nose.

"Hope the guy is okay", Takashi mutters, then watches the sexual scene. He could just get in there right now with two of the three teenage girls having the bodies of a goddess. And that is exactly what he did.

Saeko watches with her eyes half lidded of the sensation of just watching Tucker's half clothed figure grinding against the ladies, then suddenly fell in from the weakness in her knees. The three adults froze, looking over to Saeko. Saeko, being flustered, was fully embarrassed of being caught in the act. Her mind was everywhere on the scolding she may get.

"Um... Uh..." Saeko was at a loss of words, even more so as the adults spoke to her with grins on their faces.

"You're just watching and not dancing", Shizuka says with a giggle. "Get in here, we're all friends."

"Please do so, Busujima-san", Kiriko adds, picking up her bottle and gulping a few drinks down.

"No, I-I'm alright", Saeko quickly says as she stood up.

Tucker chuckles, went to her, then grabs her hand. "Come on, let yourself go. Who knows if you'll ever get the chance like this." He pulls her in between Kiriko and Shizuka with him, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. "Enjoy the little things as much as you can."

Saeko's cheeks warms to a tomato red, but moves her hips with the movement of Tuckers. She was wondering if this is what adults do in their free time. Is it true? Yet, now she was part of it. Being that single, free woman at a bar, Kiriko offers Saeko a drink, which she accepted hesitantly. She was surprised by how good it was, almost like soda she would rarely drink. In a matter of minutes, she let's her body go as her backside grinds up and down against Tucker's crotch while the other two girls were, what it seems to be, dry fucking each other to the new song, Wrecking Ball with the Caked Up remix which got a "Fuck yeah" from Tucker. The new sensation Saeko is now experiencing is something she never has done, and something she would never have seen herself doing... And it felt good. She smiles as she rests back against Tucker's bare chest and her head under his chin with her eyes closed while, all the same, letting her lightly clothed figure dance against his masculine, sweaty figure with her hands traveling up around his head. Indeed, aside from his light intoxication of the white wine, Tucker was impressed.

In just the next minute, Kiriko was passed out on the couch beside the window and Tucker seated in the chair facing the manager's desk. In front of him was Saeko and Shizuka, grinding their backsides against his legs as they made their way up to his gentleman sword. Saeko, quickly succumbing to the alcohol, was looking over her shoulder at Tucker with a deviant look in her eyes as Shizuka womans up and squats down between his legs, unzipping his pants and pulling them down with his boxers. Just by the site of the bulge, Saeko and Shizuka had gotten a clue of how large his erection would be. But as it whips out, they became more surprised that the 8 1/2 erection just points in their faces like a preying snake. Saeko slid to her knees down beside Shizuka and took the meat rod in her grasp lightly. She wanted to experience something like this of a man in hopes to becoming more like a mature woman, so she was the first to press her lips against the head of Tucker's hot, hard erection and suckle gently with her eyes locked to his, which seems to be a golden-hazel color she barely noticed before. Shizuka, running out of patience, ran her tongue up and down the member from Saeko's lips down to the base.

"Oh shit", Tucker gasps with pleasure.

Finally, the girls stood from between his legs and backs up to the other couch beside the door, where they both strip off their loose shirts. Their exposed wet, smooth breasts were a feast for eyes. Shizuka's large, soft breasts were just the perfect size for Tucker, and Saeko's figure was so curvy and fit for what appears to be the next activity. As they lift their shirts over their heads and got a good view of their surroundings, Tucker was right in front of them, holding their cheeks and French kissing both of the females as they slowly slid down to the couch. Soon, the girls found themselves making out with each other as Shizuka was atop of Saeko. Tucker was behind the two girls, grinding his hot and hard erection between their dripping wet vaginas they sandwiched together. Both emits a soft moan, then out screams Shizuka as Tucker thrusts into her dripping wet sensitive hole. Her body rocks back and forth with the movement, her breasts rubbing against Saeko's. Saeko watches Shizuka's expression with pleasure and jealousy. Though, she was also afraid. She is still pure and never slept with anyone. Takashi was a close one, but...

"Oh Tucker", Shizuka moans out, over and over as he thrusts into her from behin while she rubs herself off. "I-I'm getting close!" Shizka slumps down against Saeko as Tucker pulls himself out, then prods the tip of his erection against Saeko's needy vagina. He pushes in slowly, then penetrates her tightening, wet virgin hole. Saeko clenches her teeth and reaches her arms back to the armrest where she grips onto it tightly. Tucker, seeing this, moves at a slow, easy pace into the sensitive Saeko.

"T-Tucker-kun", Saeko moans out. Her body heats up quickly as pleasure replaces pain. Even Shizuka, who nearly came, moans out softly as for she could feel the grinding of Tucker's erection against her clit with each thrust he made into the moan-screaming Saeko. "I'm about to come...!"

Tucker slid himself out of the Saeko's tight womanhood, then slid it in between both of the girl's vaginas where he began to thrust as he would do inside either of these two. The hot, large object grinding hard against these girl's most sensitive clitoris causes the girls to throw their heads back simultaneously and scream out yet again. Luckily, the music of GDFR by Flo Rida was loud enough to cover the moans and rocking of the couch for the teens outside to not hear. In the next few seconds, both girls finally came and coats Tucker's meat rod with their juices as his own hot, thick load of cum pours out between Saeko's and Shizuka's chests.

"Goddamn, I didn't fuck like that in years", Tucker pants the words in between his heavy breathing. "You girls are just amazing."

Saeko and Shizuka, panting as well, looks to Tucker with pleased smiles, then rests to catch up with their energy. The night had finally came to an end with the music ending at the last track.

The next early morning at dusk, Tucker went for a quick shower then changes next to his duffel bag into clean fitted, identical clothing as he tosses the dirtied ones from last night into that same duffel bag. With a sigh, he picks up his tactical vest, places a full magazines into each mag pouch, and straps it onto his figure before slinging a rucksack on his back, which was full of gear. Picking up his HK416, he starts towards the barricaded front door, exits out, then looks around at the large, vacant parking lot but an abandoned vehicle here and there.

"Guess I'll use that 18 wheeler's railing as a pull up bar...", Tucker mutters to himself before strapping on his mask. "Then I'll pull it to the parking spot in front of it and push it back... Then I'll go for a little Marine Recon run... Yep, that's the Alpha Providence PT for ya."

Saeko, standing behind Tucker in her dry cleaned school uniform and knee pads, clears her throat and spoke in an awkward tone, "Mind if I join you?"

Tucker looks over his shoulder to the girl he had slept with last night, which he fully remembers detail by detail. "Uh... Yeah. Wait, you sure? This is not just some PT, you know." Aside from that, can she really handle such training? Her figure does speak it, but does her willingness show it? Deep down, he was a bit worried it would be hard on her, but then again, if she is able to survive with such great CQC skills and have the aura of a warrior, he's thinking that he _probably_ let her. Maybe.

"PT?" She was confused a bit by those letters.

"It doesn't mean 'Phuck Training', I assure you", Tucker says jokingly. "Physical Training, Alpha Providence way."

She pushes the 'Phuck Training' remark aside, not wanting to discuss such a topic after an embarrassing time. "Alpha Providence?"

"I'll explain. But, hey...You're good?"

Saeko thought for a moment, flashes of last night she had first thought was a dream. She frowns a bit and held herself tightly.

Seeing this, Tucker went to her, rests his gloved hand on her shoulder, then kneels down with his masked face facing up to her. "I'm sorry about taking such a precious thing from you. But it's something neither of us can take back."

"It's not that, it's just... I don't really mind giving you that part of me, but I'd wish it didn't go down such a vulgar way."

Tucker agrees, knowing how precious a girl's first time can be. To push it aside, he led her back inside where he got her gear ready. "Go put on some training clothes and some good go-fasters... I mean, tennis shoes. I'll be right out in the front with your stuff ready, and remember: don't wake a soul."

Saeko nods in agreement, then walks off to change with swimming thoughts.

...

_Saeko and Shizuka had a great time, but what exactly is Saeko thinking about? Will she finally know more about Tucker's company? Will he tell everyone else? And how will this PT go with these two athletic people? Review and thank you._


	6. Act of Betrayal

_Hey guys, this chapter brought the action back. Especially the end of this chapter. A bit of the feels, but anyway... Next chapter will be just as good as this. Maybe better. Reviews always help btw. Just, you know... Throwing that one out there. Enjoy._

_..._

As Tucker straps a vest full of magazines in the pouches and a rucksack on Saeko's back, he glances over her body once more to make sure everything was fitted to her well, but then again to take in the view of the mercenary feminine-looking teenager. She had on shorts that came up all the way to her upper thighs and a form fitting tank top. Her hair was tied in a bun instead of a pony tail this time, as well. Saeko looks over to the distant 18-wheeler, which she figured was out of place the last time she was out there. Did he move it? Well, considering his sweat and breathing, he probably did.

"Now, this is how it'll go down", Tucker starts, "we're going to run around this whole parking lot. But it's a bit foggy, so keep close." Actually, it was almost too thick of a fog. "I'll take things down a notch, so..."

"No", Saeko protests. "I'll be fine if we do things your way. Well, I'll be even more fine if I were to meet your standards in training. I mean, would you agree that it would be better that I were to surpass you in your own training?" She even wore a smirk at that last sentence.

Tucker lets out a whistle and chuckles a bit. "Oh, that's how it's going to be, huh? Alright, I'll kick it up a notch. _You_ stay to _my_ speed. No exceptions." He pulls Patterson's mask from her rucksack then hands it to her with a slight quiver of his hand. He figured he'll let it slide just this once."It'll be like wearing a gas mask. I replaced the respirator settings to a more gas mask-like environment. Same to mine. I will get in your face, so try not to get your heartbroken or whatever. When you answer to me, it'll be 'Yes, sir'. You don't drink unless ordered." He held his canteen bottle up, shaking it around with a devious grin hidden under his mask. "And do exactly as I say when I say. Got it?"

As Saeko straps the mask onto her face, she was amazed by how comfortable it fitted to her face and ears, though her breathing was a bit slowed and thickened, probably because of the settings Tucker set. "Yes, sir."

"Oh, you catch on quick." He hands her an M16A4 rifle with an M203 attachment, then jogs off into the fog. "Now come on, you damn sloth! Move it before I put a bullet in your goddamn foot!" Tucker yells into his built-in mic, which sounded into Saeko's built-in earpiece clearly enough.

Saeko runs after Tucker, feeling all the weight weighing her down. Yet, she presses on like the warrior she is. "Yes, sir!"

Takashi awoke behind Rei, who were both asleep in their little slumber shelf. Her clothes were a mess on her figure, and Takashi himself was a mess himself. Slowly, he crawls out of the area and stumbles to the meeting area they were just dancing at last night.

"Don't tell me we did it", Takashi mutters to himself.

"You haven't", Saya's voice says from behind.

He turns around, finding Saya seated in front of a pile of MREs she was trying to open. "How do you know?"

"Well, I was the only one in the right mind. You two were just flirting and flirting, then ended up in that little sleeping spot. I thought you two were going to screw, but you two just passed out."

"Wait, if you were in your right mind, then that is how you dance naturally?"

Saya blushes, then continues to trying to rip open the MRE. "Shut up."

Takashi studies the package in her hand, kneels beside her, then picks one up that read 'Spaghetti and Meatballs' as the main label. "All that is in here?"

"Apparently so", Saya answers for him. "How the hell is he going to throw all these in here and not tell us how to use these?"

"Are you saying a genius finally doesn't know a thing?"

"Shut the hell up, you!"

Takashi backs away with a pleased grin, then went outside and looks around. "When did it get so foggy?" He squints ahead, catching sight of two figures. He was just seconds away from hurrying back inside to grab his new shotgun, but refrains as he saw the figures were running with what seems to be rifles in hand. Then, he saw the masculine, dark clothed and familiar figure of Tucker and lightly clothed Saeko at his side. "How long were they..."

As they stopped right beside him, Tucker stood in front of Saeko and sets his rifle down gently. "Put down your rifle and other gear, right now!" His voice was softened like massive stryofoam mug by the mask, but to Saeko, it was loud and clear as daylight.

"Yes, sir", Saeko yells back, putting her rifle down. After that, she unstraps her mask and vest then sets them down with her rucksack. When she stood at the position of attention, Tucker was already stripped of his gear.

Tucker held the canteen bottle in front of the sweat-drenched, hard breathing Saeko. "Permission to drink is granted. Now drink up with that cum receptacle of yours! You have FIFTEEN seconds! Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen...!" He was counting down rapidly, making seconds seem like less than half a second.

Saeko took the bottle from Tucker's grasp, raises it over her mouth, and gulps down the flowing, icy cold water as if her life depended on it.

"... Three, two, and ONE! Get rid of that water! We're not here to suck dick all day!"

Rei just came outside with Saya and Kohta, watching with feared eyes as Saeko tosses the canteen aside.

"Is he loud enough", Saya asks herself annoyingly. "Well, he _is_ wearing that thing..."

Kohta, though, snickers with Takashi.

"Hey, don't laugh", Rei scolds Kohta and Takashi. "Do you know how bad it feels to say something like that to her?"

"Yeah, but still", Takashi replies as he controls himself.

"Front, lean, and rest position, NOW", Tucker yells to Saeko.

Saeko did as commanded with a 'Yes, sir', then switches to a sit up position as he commands her to do so. Then to the push up position. Then to the sit up. She screams back 'Yes, sir' here and there with each command.

After a full minute of fucking around, Tucker ordered her to stand, which she did. "Listen up, you fucked up retard! This world calls for survival to do the fucking, not the fucked! You almost died on that run; what would it be if you were running from a massive horde after that ass of yours, huh?! Overall, this crazy fuck that pushed herself to carry on deserves a B average on her PT! Congratu-FUCKING-lations, retard. Get out of my face, you're dismissed, fucktard!"

At the command of dismissal, she collapses onto Tucker with her arms around him for support. Tucker held her in return, running his hands through her hair as he looks to everyone else. "Hey, did you guys eat already?"

"We don't even know how to open the damn things", Saya complains.

Tucker rolls his eyes from under his mask, then helps Saeko inside. "Kohta, Takashi. Be some good gentlemen and take my things inside."

Takashi and Kohta exchange glances, then did as told. But just by lifting the vest, they felt their weight being pulled to the ground.

"Fuck, this stuff is heavy", Takashi complains as he slung the vest around over his shoulder with a huff and drags the rucksack inside with Kohta, who had the same difficulty.

Tucker sat Saeko on the floor, then grabs an MRE bag, took his MK II knife from the sheath on his shoulder, and cuts off an opening at the top. "Gather 'round kids for Cooking 101." He dumps out all the contents. There was a small pack of pound cake, coffee kit, and some spices. There was a clear-ish bag with a brown, thick layered bag inside of it. "This clear thing here is like a microwave. Pop out the main meal..." He took the brown bag out of the clear bag and sets it aside before pouring a bit of water inside the clear bag, or heater. "... Pour some water into this bag here up to the designated dotted line, then put that sucker back in there. Seal it and let it heat for a good seven or so minutes, then you've got yourself a good meal. It's not American-made: it's Alpha Providence-made." He looks down at his main bag. "Oh damn, I got steak bits!"

Everyone looks around the stash of MREs, picking a few out and handing it to Tucker as he tears it open with his blade. They all do as he did exactly, then waited.

"So, my company", Tucker began, leaning back on his elbows. Kiriko and Shizuka had just returned from their shower with Alice, dressed in their dry-cleaned attire from yesterday. It was the perfect timing for him to explain and ready their MREs with everyone else's. "The company's name is Alpha Providence. We're a well-known yet very classified PMC or contractor or mercenary group. PMC meaning Private Military Company. We're not only the strongest, most fiercest and dangerous mercs in the world, but also the top of providing aid in crisis, such as the Haiti earthquake, the genocide in Slovakia, even the wars in WWII and even before then. Even the most technological advanced military world on this planet. Though, why do we take part in this operation? Here in Japan? Well, actually... We were here for Saya's father." He sets the MRE he set up aside and points his blade at Saya. "We were paid to escort your father outta here. But, after losing contact with Freelance 0-2, we switched over to using our cover-up as a primary mission: escort all we can to the SDF, or Self Defense Force. Since the EMP blast, War Lord has been trying to reestablish our electronics back to being useful. Even my TWC-3 and mask is unfit for full operation unless I get a new battery chip."

Everyone looks to Tucker for him to continue with a studious look in their eyes. Saya, though, was becoming more confused with each word pertaining to her father, Souichiro Takagi.

"Even that MRAP out there is all tech. The windshield, the hydraulics, dashboard, rear doors, that whole vehicle is considered a weapon. What is the most dangerous people with the most dangerous tech doing evacing civvies? As I've said; we got nothing better to do."

"So, you'll just toss us aside when you people got something better to do", Saya interrupts. At this, Tucker was silent.

Until the next few seconds, he finally spoke. "Orders are orders. When you're a dedicated mercenary, you've gotta do what you're told." He looks down at the MREs then grabs his package. "Oh that aroma never fails!" He opens his heater and main dish bag, then uses the fork to stab a piece of steak and chew down on the juicy meat. "Oh man, this is awesome!"

Every grabs their own bags, imitating Tucker and began eating. A lot had gone through their minds about Tucker, whether or not they should really trust him after hearing such information.

"Oh, and check this out", Tucker says with a mouthful with his arm raises towards his bag. "My grapple still works..."

Just as he was about to tap on his TWC-3 wrist computer, it came into static and spoke aloud like a radio. "This is Reaper Squad, Squad 4-Zip. Is anyone there? Fuck, man... I get radio work and the others waste these fuckers... Hey? Anyone there? This is Connor of Reaper Squad, anyone copy?"

Tucker taps his wrist computer and spoke aloud, "Yo, you crazy fuck! You're still alive over there?" He dug his free hand into his semi-long black hair out of excitement with a glowing smile.

"Who the fuck is this? We don't got confirmation on your info."

"Dude, it's Tucker! Serial 579-069-24 of Squad 6-4."

"Tucker? Holy shit, bro!" Excitement and relief was the aura given off of Tucker and the voice from his wrist computer. "We lost your coords yesterday, thought you were a goner. How's everyone over there? Hey, tell those assholes Heckler and Brecken that I need my 20 bucks! Smack that Irish fuck up his head and swat Patterson on the ass for me."

Tucker was silent for a moment, though his smile remains if just a bit. "Connor, dude... They're dead. We were ambushed and they... They fuckin' um..."

Connor's sigh was clearly audible, followed by a curse. "Hey man, just get back here. We'll talk about it later."

"Wait, wait", Tucker says, returning to his genuine smile. "I've got some civvies needing a ride home. Know where that evac is at? Back at that elementary school?"

"Yeah, Shintoko Third. What's the plan?"

"Alright, fuck the primary. We're having the evac there considering the people and location, got it? These guy's parents are there and..."

"Yeah, yeah, I've got your ass covered. And listen..." He spoke in a whisper, bringing Tucker to run down the volume a bit. "You are clear to make any CAS (close air support) and supply drops. Need reinforcements from our QRF? I got your ass. Need a quick pickup and drop off? Covered. Anything you need, I'll relay your traffic."

"Fuckin' A man, I love you", Tucker yells in excitement.

"Don't talk about that homo shit, bro. Out."

The TWC-3 wrist computer went silent, then displays a reboot pop up. Tucker ate the rest of his MRE meal and pound cake with happiness as the others were eating with their eyes studying Tucker.

"What was that about", Takashi asks.

"It was about great news", Tucker answers. "I've got supply drops and the good stuff. Our backs are covered from here on out, ladies and gents. Also, I didn't finish; your whole country is covered with military forces. You're not the only country with a large military force, but you're the only one with the biggest. Information from there on is classified, sorry."

After about an hour of eating, resting, and getting showers out of the way, Tucker was sitting in the passenger seat of the MRAP idling in front of the entrance and messing with the monitor in the dashboard. A projected, transparent image displays on the windshield in front of him with a GPS image of his area, the vehicle's condition, and stored contacts. He looks at the image on the windshield, then touches his finger less-gloved hand on the edge of the display and slid it towards the driver's side. The image slid smoothly over in front of where the driver would be. "Connor, this is Tucker", Tucker says to the monitor. "Copy?"

"Loud and clear, brother", the similar voice responds. "What do you need?"

"Supply drop on my pos with a few battery chips for my mask and TWC-3. Also, drop off my stuffed donkey with it."

Connor snickers from the other side and relays the traffic elsewhere. "Alright, little boy. That's all?"

"Affirmative, that is all."

"Oh, wait wait wait... Are you taking _that_ route to Shintoko? That's all surrounded with Zulus (NATO callsign for zombies), brother. Need me to throw in an escort?"

"That'd be great, man. Call in our HH-60H for me."

"Roger that. Out."

Everything was just looking smooth. Tucker had all the support he needed, and even had contact with a close friend to him. Though, he had guessed that the trust of his new allies were brought down just a little, but his job is to still get them outta there. No matter what.

"Tucker", Shizuka asks from the driver door. "We're all ready."

Tucker looks over his seat to the back, seeing everyone pile in with the gear. "Alright, get in and start this baby up."

Shizuka did as asked, closes her door after getting in, then stares at the transparent image in her view. "Um... What's this?"

"It's a HUD with a map of the area and other good stuff. I've set up the route you're taking, which is the quickest but dangerous route to Shintoko."

"Shintoko", Rei asks to Tucker, sitting behind him. "Why there?"

"Did I tell you? There's an evac going on there, a place where your father moved to."

"And where my mother is", Takashi mutters.

As Zeke hops in, the sound of a jet sounds overhead then down came floating a package at the main exit of the parking lot.

"Shizuka, drive up to the package ahead for me", Tucker asks, which she did. When the vehicle rolls to a stop beside the package covered in its parachute, Tucker steps out and pops open it's latches, revealing a small box inside and a small stuffed donkey. He grabs the supplies and dials in a code at the side of the package, then hurries back to the MRAP with boxes in hand. "Go, now."

Shizuka nods, driving ahead and following the green line displayed on the transparent HUD in front of her. Soon, the sound of a small explosive was heard from behind, the fog blowing clear of that area. Everyone jumps a bit, then settles a bit as Tucker looks to the back seat.

"Don't worry about it, guys", Tucker says calmly. "It's just a self-destruct mechanism from the package. And also..." He held the stuffed donkey to Alice. "This is precious to me, very precious. Hold it close and dearly, alright sweetheart?"

Alice smiles warmly, nodding and taking the stuffed animal in her hands and to her chest. "Yes, sir. Thank you, Tucker-san!"

Tucker smiles a bit under his mask, then looks ahead at the monitor of the dashboard. He taps on the screen a bit, then soon the windshield flickers a bit and changes the vision to where the fog looks almost nonexistent around them. Everyone was surprised at this, even Shizuka who slows down a bit.

"Keep driving, baby girl. We're in bad lands."

Shizuka nods with a gulp.

After a few minutes of driving, everyone began eating their leftovers of their MREs. Tucker kept his eyes all around with Shizuka, until Shizuka spoke to Tucker. "Tucker-kun, can you feed me a few skittles?"

"Charms", he asks himself, then spotted a small pack of Charms in her lap. With a sigh, he grabs the pack from her lap and held a Charm to her lips, which she took with her tongue. With his fingers free from the finger less glove. Usually, in the Marines, Charms were a candy considered very bad luck if found in a Marine's Humvee. So no Marine dared keeping a pack in their Humvee. But in Alpha Providence, each mercenary challenged their luck to the greatest. Even when it's worth having a busty, blonde, hot nurse sucking at your index finger. Under his mask, Tucker's cheeks had grown warmer and warmer as he did in his pants. "U-Um, are you done, Shizuka?"

Shizuka giggles, letting go with a nod. "Mhm!"

Tucker smirks, then looks ahead. With the quickest glimpse, he spotted several of 'them' stumbling around in the foggy outside suburbs. "Yo, Kohta? Man the .50."

Kohta stood up to the gunner's turret behind the Browning M2 and swivels around. Despite the visibility being low, he saw a few of 'them' stumbling their way from behind. "I've counted three at our 6 o'clock."

Tucker grabs his HK416 and loads a 40mm into his M203 launcher attachment and a 30 round magazine into the mag slot before pulling back the starter. "Everyone, get ready."

Takashi nods, then looks to his group. "Saya, you're staying in here with Shizuka and Alice if we have to stop or something. Saeko and I will be the main fight to push 'them' back while Miyamoto-san, Kohta, and Rei clear around the vehicle."

Everyone nods to Takashi, though Kiriko was surprised by his leadership quality and everyone else's maturity of the situation. Saya was a bit stressed about having to stay behind, but nonetheless, an order is a order.

Thudding was heard against the side of the MRAP, indicating that 'they' were that close. Kohta looks down at the side with widened eyes. "Hey, they're right next to us!"

Tucker curses under his breath. "Push it, baby girl."

Shizuka puts on a serious look as she stomps down on the gas, bringing the MRAP at full speed through the narrow road. With clear visibility through that X-ray windshield, they had a good visual on the road through the fog. Though, a car just rolls in from the road to the side just as the MRAP slams into the truck. The MRAP, though, only skids and swivels just a bit considering it's offensive armor. That vehicle, though, was tossed into the street's corner.

"Fucking hell", Tucker says with a chuckle, maintaining his seat posture as everyone did the same at the back.

Kohta squints ahead down the road, then his eyes widens. "Hey, we've got a ton of 'them' up ahead blocking the whole road!"

"Shit, turn here", Takashi shouts to Shizuka.

Shizuka turns down to the road at her left away from their doom ahead with a hard jerk of the wheel, bringing everyone out of their seats once more.

Tucker looks at their surroundings, seeing more and more of 'them' the closer they neared the exit of the suburbs.

Finally, the MRAP rams into bodies of the walking corpses.

"Kohta", Tucker shouts above at the turret Kohta manned. "Time to go hot!"

Right after that command, Kohta opens fire at the road ahead with the heavy jolts of firepower being sent up his arms. He held a sadistic smile as the firepower of that Browning M2 .50 Cal MG made his arms more jello with each shot. "Oh yeah!"

Tucker grimaces under his mask as the sight of 'them' increases. Then, the sight of a pile of crashed vehicles blocking their route dropped his heart. "Fuck, look out!"

Shizuka was too late to press on the brake as the MRAP crashed into the pile of wreckage. Everyone had gone black.

Takashi and his group was now walking on a highway. All except Tucker. Now, they were at square one: travelling on foot without a place to stay but with a planned destination in mind. Their faces held distress and sadness from earlier. When they decided to abandon Tucker...

_-30 Minutes Ago-_

Tucker looks out his porthole at 'them' closing in on the MRAP. As he groans with each movement he made, he looks to the back to see Kohta, not in the gunner's spot, but in the back atop the others. They were all in disarray from the crash, but, luckily, Alice was safely kept in Kiriko's arms.

"Tucker-kun", Shizuka groans as she tries to lift herself from the wheel.

Tucker looks to Shizuka, then faces his door. He kicks it open with two hard kicks and steps out. Looking around at the surroundings, their survivability was looking to be near 0. "Shit..." He looks over his shoulder at the MRAP, thinking on what he should do. He had to save them. How? Or should he just leave them?...

Takashi soon awoke with a pained groan with Rei and the others. They look around, then came back to reality on what happened.

"Everyone, out through the back", Takashi commands, taking his M1014 and reaching for the rear door's handle.

Outside, gunfire erupts. As Takashi opens the door, he peeks out to find Tucker at a good distance away from the MRAP down at the road they had just came from.

"What is he doing", Rei asks as she helps Alice up.

"I don't know", Takashi replies. "But this is our chance." As he hops out, he glances around, only to find just a few of 'them' stumbling towards the gunfire. Yet, up ahead, Tucker was surrounded by several dozen of the undead.

As Kiriko hops out with Alice, Saeko helps Saya out, followed by Rei, Shizuka, and Kohta. Zeke, though, was already out and running towards the gunfire whilst barking furiously.

"Zeke", Alice calls out, but Kiriko places her hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. Alice grips the stuffed donkey Tucker had given to her earlier, already knowing why she had to stay quiet.

"Should we really leave him like that", Kohta asks Takashi. "I mean, he helped us out this whole time and..."

"And he abandoned us", Saya butts in with a weak tone. "Look at him: carrying all the weapons and running off with us left behind. We have the perfect chance to leave. We should take this chance."

Saeko, who held Saya, looks to the ground with a hurt look. "She's right." Her voice was pained, though she did not want to admit it as she looks to Takashi with a now serious look on her face. "We should leave him to his betrayal. After all, he's just using us as a way to kill time."

Shizuka was becoming more hurt with Saeko, the girl who had her first time with Tucker, admitting this. Though, she figured arguing over this just because of personal feelings would get them possibly killed. Sighs and silence were eerie in the atmosphere, despite the distant rapid gunfire.

"Then let's go", Takashi says. "At least we closed some distance between us and Shintoko Third Elementary. But this time, we're taking the safe route."

And like that, Takashi and the others carries on the opposite direction with gloomy expressions, not looking back.

After Tucker packs all his gear into his rucksack, he straps it onto his back and readies his HK416 once more in case. Taking another glance at the passed out Takashi and the others in the MRAP, he lets out a sigh. "I trust you guys." He then closes the passenger's door and taps on his TWC-3 wrist computer while running down the road. "Hey, Connor? It's Tucker, need a CASEVAC around my pos, how copy?" His voice was like he was out of breath, mainly because of being in the midst of dozens of zombies.

"Hey man, sorry to say but we got several Freelance squads taking up airspace", the voice replies in his earpiece. "I swear, it's fucked up... What's your SITREP?"

"Bro, I'm fucked", Tucker shouts, firing his weapon at a zombie in front of him, and then at a few more to his side. "I'm on foot in the danger zone, right smack in the middle of Zulus!"

"Shit, what're you doing? Get the fuck outta there!"

"I can't, I'm buying time to draw Zulus away from the survivors until they wake up! We crashed and were surrounded, and now they're passed out in that thing!"

"Fuck, um...!" The voice began humming to himself with a tapping noise as he thought. "Dude, how're you getting outta there? If you don't leave, you've fucked! Sat link is showing more Zulus heading your direction at your six!"

"Once the kids wake up, I'm hoping they'd help me out of this shithole. Right now, I've got all the firepower to last me however long to keep Zulus away from the MRAP!"

"You trust those survivors that much?"

"Fuck yeah, it's my job to bring 'em home. So I trust 'em that much, brother." Tucker shot a 40mm out of his M203 grenade launcher to a gathering number of 'them' up ahead to where he was headed, which was just further ahead. "They've got my back considering me having their's." He then empties half of his mag to a crowd of 'them' down the street to the left. Now he was in the middle of a four-way intersection of the suburban area.

One of 'them' grabs Tucker by the rucksack and pulls him back, though Tucker elbows the corpse in their face and fires a shot right there between its eyes. He stabs the muzzle of his rifle in the face of another then drops his favorite weapon. As he kicks the closest zombie back to the ground, he reaches to his back and pulls out the MK46 LMG from the side of his rucksack and began spraying a haze of rounds all around at his 360. With a quick glimpse over the crowd, he spotted Takashi and his group looking at his direction from the distance. A nervous grin came over his lips under his mask, then he began to push 'them' back with the new firepower.

"Yeah, get some you fucktards", Tucker shouts with a determined, hopeful look. Though, that disappeared as Takashi and the others turn away.

"What the fuck?" He froze there, watching the group leave him behind.

"Tucker? What's going on?" Connor asks through the mic.

Tucker stood there for a moment until one of 'them' grabs his arm. Before their teeth sunk into his flesh, Tucker kicks him back and fires away again. As his clip empties, he pulls a tanto machete out from the rucksack before dropping it to the ground from his shoulder. He now stood at a ready stance to chop down the large number of 'them'.

_They left me_, Tucker thought to himself. _I fuckin' saved their lives and carried them on this far. I even forced myself to take myself out here to draw these bastards away and... Fuck!_ Tucker grits his teeth under his mask and shouts aloud as he slung his tanto machete across one of the undead's rotting body as a dozen or so set of hands reaches for him from all around

"Tucker?!" The voice calls out. "Tucker? Tucker, you fucking bastard!" Silence.

...

_Please drop down your reviews on how you think/feel about this chapter and story thusfar. Next chapter will become just as interesting at the ending of this chapter, so stay up to date. R__emember; leave down your review so I can see what I should improve or keep doing later on. It always helps and makes me feel better that you guys are sharing your thoughts. Always makes me happy, really. Hope you enjoyed._

_-The Red Merc_


	7. All-Time Reunion

As Takashi and his group continues walking down that highway, the sounds of distant gunfire had become a common thing to them. Supposedly the information on military forces Tucker had told them was true. Does that mean that all the other things he said was true? None the matter, he was not there to ask.

"Everyone, keep your guard up", Takashi says, breaking the awkward silence around his group. "We can't let it bring us down like that. It was either him or us, guys."

The thought of that last sentence brought everybody up just a little bit. Because he was right. Should they actually have gone and helped to what it seems a fleeing mercenary they knew for only a day and lose about two of their friends along that plan? Friends they have bonded with for a few days, some for years? Or let him die in order to save the pact?

"Our leader is right", Saeko agrees once more. "We are almost there; we can't have the loss of one man bring us down." Honestly, deep inside, Saeko was in pain and screaming out regrets. Though, her outer shell she always kept in good shape, physically and emotionally, was the same warrior material as she always had been.

Alice hugs the stuffed animal closer to her chest with one arm whilst Shizuka held her free hand. "It'll be fine when we get to where we're going, Alice-chan." She spoke with a cheery smile in order to bring Alice up just a bit, which somewhat worked.

_This is not good_, Takashi thought to himself. _The morale is dropping. When that happens, then... Fuck, maybe we should've helped out the guy._

Rei and Kiriko were talking to each other in a low tone, both were smiling a bit as an expression of relief from seeing each other in this apocalypse.

_At least _they're_ in high spirits._

Kohta was up ahead as their point man, his eyes focused on the shops and houses to their side for any sight of 'them' with the MP5SFK Tucker had given him earlier. There were just a couple here and there, though; nothing to risk having more on their asses. Saya, though, was limping beside Saeko. That crash from earlier had really taken a toll on her.

Suddenly, a dark-coal colored Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, the MQ-9, zooms by right over their heads. As they duck and look up at the speeding UAV, the camera on the aircraft took several, rapid photos of the teens and adults. Takashi could've sworn he had seen the words 'Alpha Providence' printed on the sides of the dark aircraft.

"It's fine, we should get going before 'they' start coming", Takashi says.

Everyone then stood up and continues on in order to leave the area that caused the most noise. Visibility was still a bit low with the fog, but not as low as earlier.

Tucker spoke into his built in mic of his mask whilst running rooftop to rooftop. "Hey, Reaper Squad, you copy? Connor?"

"Fucking shit, we packed up to go get your ass", the voice replies. "What do you need?"

"Drop an MATV at my pos with some weapons, ammo, and gear in there. I'm on the move, so you'll have to keep updating my coords."

"Alright, it's all relayed. Dude, the commander just rolled into Tokonosu. Know what that means?"

"Yeah, means that Zulus are going to get fucked up, right?"

"Fuckin-A, brother." Connor turns from his radio on the dashboard of the Humvee to the driver. "Yo, we're turning around. Tucker is alright."

"Copy that, big man", the driver replies with a sigh through his mask.

"Wait, wait", the radio calls out from the dashboard in front of Connor. "Keep heading in my direction. Actually, head down to the elementary school; I'll meet up with you and the group I was with."

"Did they just abandon you", Connor asks. "Leave 'em, they seem to be good on their own."

"Well, hey. Brecken told me to save any survivors as much as I can, and I will keep that dying promise he gave me."

"Alright, alright. Your MATV is five mikes out."

"Copy, out." Tucker jumps down to the empty road below, nearly dropping the rucksack he held under his arm, which only held the masks of his fallen comrades. His own dog tags jingle beneath his Tru Spec combat shirt and Brecken's tags jingling around in Tucker's pocket. "I'm going to get you kids and your parents outta here." Suddenly, Tucker drew his P226 pistol from his lower back in a single, quick swift motion and aims it to a woman crouched beside a gate to a house. "Stand, now!" He shouts through his mask to the woman. As she slowly stood with her hands up, Tucker asks, "What's your name? Is there anyone else in there?"

"U-Um, I'm Komuro. This is my home and nobody else is i-in there."

Tucker nods, then holsters his sidearm into the holster on his lower back. "Come on, I'm headed to the evac site at Shintoko Third Elementary. Got everything you need?"

The woman, Mrs. Komuro, held up a small box. "Yes, I do."

"Then let's get going. Stay close and keep silent."

"Right." The woman was a bit winded of the sudden appearance of the mercenary, but was a bit relieved that she was being escorted back to her school. The school she had recently escaped from to gather her precious belongings.

The two adults hurries down along the streets, finally meeting the highway. Everything had just turned from morning to afternoon. Tucker stops beside a car and took a suppressor from one of the pouches of his vest and screws it onto the muzzle of one of his pistols, then did the same to another. The woman watches the masked individual, then sets her small box down.

"What're you doing", Mrs. Komuro asks.

"Making my shots more quiet", Tucker replies before setting both pistols back into his holsters. He leans back with his arms crossed, then glances over the woman. "You seem familiar. I doubt we met but... Do you have any kids?"

"Oh, yes, just one. He's a bright young man that gets into a lot of trouble. His school work is what gets him in trouble with me." She pauses with a smile, then looks up to the sky. "I just hope he's fine considering the situation."

"Yeah? I'd hope so, too."

Through the clouds up above, the woman caught sight of a vehicle hovering down with a parachute attached. "Hey, sir, what is that?"

"Call me Tucker." He says with a chuckle before looking up to where her eyes were concentrated at. Seeing the dark MATV hovering down, he grins thinly under his mask. "We're done walking, Komuro-sama."

"Sama?" The woman looks to Tucker with a blink. "Oh, please, I'm not that big of a person."

"Well, it's a form of respect I was trained to use. Didn't occur to me until now, really..." He scratches the back of his head sheepishly.

Takashi and Saeko stood beside a dumpster, as if hiding from something. Everyone else was gathered behind Saeko silently.

"They're everywhere", Takashi says while peeking towards the horde of 'them' from the side of the dumpster. "We might just have to go around 'them', but who knows if there's more."

"What approach should we take", Saeko asks.

"We should probably stay close to the buildings. Go around... And if we meet anymore of 'them' along the way, we'll keep going around."

"It'll be the longest route, but... It's worth a go." She looks over her shoulder to the rest of the group, then whispers to them the plan. As she finished, a dark Humvee rolls past the corner right behind them and screeches to a stop. The gunner of the Humvee aims the Browning .50 at the group and two masked, black clothed individuals exits out the back and aims their weapons at them.

"Hands up, hands up", they whisper loudly in crooked Japanese.

The group did as told, holding up their hands with their weapons held.

"Huh... Seems like they won't put down their toys", one of the mercenaries says to the other in English. "Come on, guys", he then says in broken Japanese. "There's an evacuation not too far. Only problem are these things. We'll make room for some of you in the Humvee, and the rest will stay close. Plan is we'll just escort you the entire way, but... Things may get a bit bumpy."

"Aren't they Tucker's...", Shizuka was about to ask, but Rei shushes her. Saeko helps Saya into the back of the Humvee quietly, then Shizuka and Alice enters.

"Damn, that chick is nice", one of the mercenaries say with a light chuckle.

"Hell yeah, brother", the other says.

"What do you mean, bumpy", Takashi asks with an eyebrow raised.

"Bumpy as in mortar fire, CAS, friendlies, so on and so forth", the driver calls out.

"Hey, keep it down, moron", Saya blurts in frustration to the driver, then cringes a bit.

"Just get inside so Connor can patch you up", the driver replies with a sneer, jamming his thumb over to the back. "The rest of you kids, pile in."

The mercenary that exited the passenger's door raises his SCAR-L rifle towards the kids from over the hood of the Humvee and fires a single shot, the round buzzing past Takashi's head and slamming into the rotting skull of a zombie behind him. "Pile in quick, artillery support is coming in soon. Or I'll rethink about Tucker's request."

"Goddamnit, Connor", the driver shouts, starting up the Humvee with irritation of the sudden shot. "Dozens of those fucktards heard that shot miles out!"

And as the two argue back and forth as if the horde just past the corner did not exist, the teens hurry into the back of the Humvee and took every available seat as the other three mercs stood beside the vehicle and follows as it rolls along the street. As Kohta gazes out the window at the mercs, he began to drool at how they were crouched with their upper bodies forward a bit and rifles firing off at whatever came in their way. Even the heart-thudding sound of the .50 reminded Kohta of when he manned that bad boy.

Then, down came artillery supporting fire.

Minutes pass. Connor was following the rear of the strolling Humvee while bandaging up Saya's leg and shooting away at 'them' closing in from behind. The teenagers inside the vehicle, though, could only see, feel, and hear the rampage going on in the streets.

"Damn Tucker is a fucking pussy ass bitch", Connor grumbles aloud as he transitions from his rifle to Saya's leg. "He's always a softy to everyone!"

Saya looks to Connor with confusion, as did Kiriko, Shizuka, Rei, and Alice. The others only watches the other mercenaries as they listen to what Connor has to say over the gunfire and falling artillery.

"You know Tucker", Rei asks.

"The bastard is like a brother to me", Connor replies, tying up the last strip of bandage around the thin ice pack along Saya's shin, then went back to shooting off his rifle with his back to them. "Once he met someone, he's determined to know 'em as he is determined to protect 'em. Even if that person was to fuck him over. And that retard is coming back to you assholes as we speak!"

Shizuka's and Alice's eyes had grown teary with relief. With Saeko facing out her window, nobody could tell what she was feeling. Saya, on the other hand, looks down with a look of guilt.

"Reloading", the gunner shouts, tossing the empty ammo can aside and fixating a new, filled can with slight difficulty.

The mercenary at the left side of the Humvee slams the buttstock of his weapon into the face of a close zombie and stabs the barrel through another's eye socket. "Left side, left side Connor!"

Connor curses under his breath as he leans past the left corner of the rear of the Humvee and sent out several shots to the closing-in undead. Then, everyone came to a sudden halt as an ordinance from a distant mortar slams into the street right in front of the Humvee. Takashi's group even shudders and cowers a bit in feared surprise from the sudden explosion and powerful shockwave.

"Holy fucking shit", the driver shouts aloud, stepping out and facing the smoking crater with his M4A1 rifle held to his side. "That fucker took out my visualizer, the umm..."

"The V22, Jacob", Connor finishes for the driver, or Dickerson, before slamming his buttstock down onto the face of one of 'them'. "You're good, Lenny", he then asks to the mercenary standing beside the left side of the Humvee.

"I'm good, bud." Lenny squints towards the smoke as he slowly steps forward to the clear, demolished street as more mortars slams into the streets all around and blocks away. "That shit had to be one of _our_ mortars..."

"I'll call in Safeguard Three", one of the mercs calls out from the right side of the Humvee as they go towards the passenger's seat. As they rip off their mask and sets it aside, she whips her blonde, short hair away from her eyes before parting her dark blue glossy lips to speak with a stressed tone. "Safeguard Three, this is 6-4. Let up on the mortars and CAS, we are coming through..."

Lenny stood at the edge of the crater as the sockets of his mask flickers with dark red lights due to the shockwave of the mortar. "Fuck, that shockwave fucked up my mask...", he mutters to himself.

"Yo, get the fuck back here, Lenny", Connor calls out from behind the Humvee.

The merc in front of the dashboard with the radio, Hailey, looks to Lenny from behind the windshield. "Hey, fuck-for-brains!"

The gunner, as he cocks back the bolt several more times to make sure it wasn't jammed, shook his head to get rid of the headache from the mortar's shockwave. "Fuckin' hell..."

Saeko looks over the seat with Takashi and the others to see what was going on.

Lenny lowers his rifle and looks over his shoulder to Hailey. "Where the fuck did 'they' all go?"

But, just as the gunner snaps back out of his headache, he focuses the .50 Cal MG right at Lenny. "Move it, Lenny", he screams in English with his foreign Irish accent.

Lenny faces the smoking crater with his rifle snapped up to a raise, but was too slow to avoid the arms reaching through the blinding smoke. The horde of 'them' pulls him into the crater followed by the deathly sounds of gunfire, screaming, and bones snapping.

Connor hurries to the front and fires a haze of rounds, in hopes of dropping a mound of bodies.

Hailey's eyes widens as she shrieks, "Fucking shit, Lenny!" Finally, strapping on her mask and grabbing her rifle, she steps out the Humvee and joins in the rampage.

"You fucking retarded pieces of rotting shits", Connor shouts over the gunfire. "Take it in, you dumb fucks!"

Jacob loads a 40mm grenade round into the M203 under barrel of his Remington ACR before firing it off into the kill zone. "Rotting undead motherfuckers!"

"Why are they shooting like that", Rei asks with shocked eyes. "Do they know that they're killing their ally?"

"Yeah, they do", Takashi answers with a sigh. "They know that he's already gone from that first bite."

As Jacob and Hailey continues with their relentless, vengeful firepower, Connor stomps towards the driver's door while pointing up to the gunner. "Wake the fuck up and put down some firepower over there!" Just as he places his gloved hand on the driver door's handle, he spotted yet another horde stumbling towards them from behind. "Fuck me... Kraus, put that MG to the rear!"

Kraus, the gunner, was becoming shaken by the death of his comrade. At the moment, the feeling of sorrow was filling up the Irish's heart.

"KRAUS!"

Kraus, finally snapping out of it, swivels the MG around to the rear and cries out his battle cry as he fires off the Browning M2. "THROW YOURSELVES IN HELL!"

Alice cowers between Kiriko and Shizuka, who were also becoming a bit shaken up. Not just the two adults and young girl were becoming afraid of what may happen next, but Takashi, too, was becoming doubtful of their survival. Everything had gone through his head. If they were to help, they'll just get into the crossfire. If they stay as they are, they'll get overrun. Where's their pickup? Their support? No help? What kind of military force abandons their own?

"Takashi", Rei says from behind Takashi.

As Takashi looks to the back over his seat, Rei was just close to his face with a forced smile. "W-What is it?"

"I-I..." She began to blush a bit, but continues on with no other difficulty. "I love you, Takashi. I know I've put you through so much in the past years, but each day I could never get you off my mind. I don't know why, but it's just..."

She was then cut off when Takashi pulls her head into his chest with his chin atop the crown of her head. "I know, Rei. I know." The sudden emotions and affection with such words had become too sudden on Takashi's racing mind. Though, he accepted her. He accepted her as he did since they were children.

Saeko watches the affectionate scenery, wishing a certain someone was there for their farewell. A single tear streak down her cheek as she looks down. In the back, Saya and Kohta began playing with Alice to cheer her up a bit despite their situation.

"Kids, shut the damn doors", Connor shouts to the back. "Keep it shut until QRF arrives! And no matter what, do not open it unless a man fast ropes down from a helo!" Finally, he shuts the rear hatch and trains his rifle to the same direction Kraus was shooting at.

Saeko, though, disobeys and steps out with the door slamming behind her.

"Saeko, what are you doing", Takashi shouts.

Ignoring Takashi, Saeko unsheathes her sword from her hip and rushes towards the front where Hailey and Jacob was holding off. Since before the police station, she had not even used the thing. And now, it was the perfect time to get back into the amazing feel of it. The feel of bloodshed at her hands she so solemnly missed. Takashi clenches his teeth and grabs his M1014, but Rei rests her hand on his.

"She needs to clear her head", Rei spoke softly. "Trust me, it's a girl thing."

Takashi was very unsure of this. Yet he allows it.

Saeko sped along the sidewalk, clear of the line of fire, and sent her blade cleanly through the corpse of one of 'them'. As blood splatters on her clean high school uniform, she grins just a bit from the riveting sensation she missed. After having her blade cut through the body of another, then the tip thrusting into the skull of her third kill, she began to smile with a pleased feeling. _This_ is what she needed besides having to feel and love like a mature woman because of... him.

Alice clutches the stuffed donkey as she smiles a bit from Kohta's and Saya's attempts on making her better.

"Feeling alright, Alice-chan", Kohta asks with a cheery smile.

"Come on, brat", Saya says softly with a small grin, one that gave her an unfamiliar motherly look. "Smile a bit more for your big sister."

Alice manages a smile at the affectionate display. Yet, just as Kohta was about to open the rear hatch, Saya grabs his arm.

"Stay in here, idiot. We need you in here more than out there."

As Saya said this, Alice gave Kohta a nod. "I don't want you to get hurt out there, Kohta-san."

Takashi watches the others in the back with a soft smile, then down at Rei. After having several intimate feelings with Saeko, Rei was the one for him after all.

"I love you, Rei", is all Takashi says lightly.

Rei buries her face further into his chest where he can feel her lips mouth the words with similar meaning. This took away their destructive, loud, deathly surroundings.

That is until they heard screeching tires of another vehicle.

Tucker plows through the undead corpses with the speeding MATV vehicle in the narrow streets, swerving side to side a bit to avoid the incoming mortar shells.

"Fuckin' A", Tucker shouts with excitement. "They really did order perimeter security!"

Mrs. Komuro was holding onto Tucker's seat in the back as the vehicle rocks with each movement and shockwave of danger-close artillery. "I-Is this safe, Tucker-kun?!"

"Nope!" He laughs a bit then caught site of an individual standing at the back of a dark Humvee with the .50 cal gunner firing off at the horde to the street from over the mass of walking corpses. "Shit, we're pulling off here, Komuro-sama."

Mrs. Komuro looks to Tucker with a shocked look. "Here?! What if we get hit?!"

"Don't worry about it." He screeches to a stop where bodies flew into the air by the MATV vehicle before pulling the clutch to a stop and stepping out with his tanto machete held tightly in his grasp and his P226 pistol held in his other. "You'll be fine, just stay there."

Mrs. Komuro nods slowly, closing the door behind him silently.

Tucker swung the full tang tanto machete in a slow, circular motion in-hand, the twenty-seven inch blade cutting through the thin smoke of debris and gun smoke before sending it through one of 'their' throats. As it's decapitated head flew through the air, Tucker sent out three shots in rapid succession to a zombie stumbling towards the back of Connor.

Connor shot his head over his shoulder to the dropping undead-dead corpse then looks to Tucker. "Oo-fucking-rah, brother", he mutters with a hidden grin as he loads his last magazine into his SCAR-L rifle. "Yo, thought you'd be at Shintoko by now you crazy fuck!"

Tucker laughs a bit over the .50's gunfire. "Hell no, man. Have you seen the kids?"

"Yeah, they're insi-..." Connor points to the Humvee, but stops himself as he witnessed Saeko dancing in her rain of blood while her blade does work with the clean butchering of the rotting corpses. "Holy shit..."

Tucker looks to Connor's direction of gaze with his jaw dropped. "She's too damn good."

Saeko drop kicks a corpse to the ground to cover more space for her attacks, then pushes herself up to a stand where she would twirl around quickly and swiftly with her katana, which slices through the stomachs of her surrounding victims with spilling guts. Hailey, who was crouched beside the Humvee with her rifle trained to Saeko's direction ahead next to the crater, fires several shots to the remaining undead around the blade-wielder.

"You're good", Hailey asks aloud to Saeko.

Saeko, breathing hard with her chest rising and falling, nods in response. "Yeah, thanks." As her eyes gaze past the female mercenary, she caught sight of the familiar masked individual of Tucker. Except, the only difference was the blade he held. "What is he...?"

Hailey cocks her head to the side in slight confusion, then looks to the direction of Saeko's gaze. With a smirk, she looks back to Saeko. "Boyfriend problems?"

Takashi looks to the gunner's leg and tugs at his pants. "Hey, why did you stop shooting?"

The gunner looks down at Takashi, lifting his mask from his face, and gave him a thumbs up. "It's all clear for now, guys." His face was young, like Takashi's age group. Difference is that he has a thin goatee with a high and tight buzz cut hairstyle. "It's all clear", he then says to himself as he rests against .50 and facing down inside the vehicle. "It's all clear..." He wipes the tears from his eyes with the back of his gloved hand. "Fucking shit, Lenny..."

Having to lose a cromrade, Takashi can relate to it. Since the overrun at the mall before, he felt the same on the inside. But for a killer like the gunner to break down like that? And yet, Takashi was a bit shocked. They survived? Without help beside the bombarding artillery? These guys, just four people, fended off a horde of 'them' that can take out a whole city? These guys has got to be pros.

As Hailey crawls into the passenger's seat to call in a halt on artillery fire, Kohta opens the rear hatch, finding Connor standing right there as if waiting for him. Kohta reacts with a shock expression and his arm ready to shut the hatch.

"You've disobeyed orders, bud", Connor says with a hidden grin to the cowering four-eyes, holding the rear hatch open

Tucker looks inside the Humvee over Connor's shoulder, finding Shizuka holding Alice with Kiriko. Then, he unstraps his mask from his face before announcing, "Got another survivor with the name of Komuro. Anyone know the chick?"

...

_There you go. More to come. How'd I do on this one? Please drop the review and don't forget to add this to your favorites or whatever to stay up-to-date. Enjoy and see ya next time._

_-The Red Merc_


	8. Evacuation Error

_Jormungand/Black Lagoon will be coming back. As a matter of fact, I'll be working on it right after this is uploaded. And Monster Musume. Anyway, don't forget to drop down your reviews and what not: this is the rising climax. Enjoy_

...

Tucker drove the MATV with Takashi, Kiriko, and Rei in the back with Takashi's mother Tucker had found earlier and Shizuka seated in the passenger's seat.

"Oh my Takashi-kun", Mrs. Komuro cries out as she hugs Takashi and Rei, Zeke barking at them playfully.. "And Rei, too! I never thought I would be able to see you too in a situation like this!"

"Kachan, I get it", Takashi says with lit up cheeks, holding his mother longingly. "I missed you, too. I'm just glad we found you."

Rei, though, closes her eyes as she rests her chin again Mrs. Komuro's shoulder. Noticing this, Mrs. Komuro pulls back to get a good look at Rei. "Did you find your parents, Rei?"

Rei gave Mrs. Komuro a softened look as she replied. "We're headed to Shintoko Third Elemntary to look for him. According to Tucker, the remaining police force had gathered there."

Mrs. Komuro sighs as she finally realized it. "Oh, that's right! I saw him there before I left, but I didn't think it was actually _him_."

Rei had lit up, suddenly happy. She held her hands over her mouth as her eyes swell with tears. "Oh thank God, Komuro-san!"

Mrs. Komuro blinks, then softens her look at Takashi as he held her against his side for comfort. "You really did mature, have you?"

Takashi gave her a sheepish grin as a reply before actually speaking, "Yeah, I guess so, huh?"

"Oh he has, Komuro", Kiriko adds, looking to Mrs. Komuro with a greeting hug. "It's good to finally see you again."

In the Humvee ahead of Tucker's vehicle, Saeko was seated in the rear with Alice, Saya, and Kohta. The mercenaries of Connor's squad was seated in their regular seats with Kraus still manning the .50.

"Saeko, are you alright", Saya asks Saeko, supposedly being her fourth time repeating herself.

Saeko, finally snapping out of it, looki to Saya with an empty look. "What is it", she says, her voice being stern without knowing herself.

Saya was taken aback by it, but then asks anyway, "How are you feeling? You haven't been yourself lately?"

Saeko looks over to Alice and Kohta, who gave her a questionable look in their eyes. Then, she looks towards the rear hatch with narrowed eyes. "Nothing of your concern, I'll be alright if you don't bother me about my problems no longer", was her reply.

"See? You've basically said you have a problem that I'm concerned about. Come on and spill; it's better than having to keep it to yourself." She was careful on keeping her tone low enough to not set off the sword-wielding femme fatale.

Though, she shot a glare before having to think first. Thinking on it, she lets out a sigh and relaxes, if just a little. "Please, don't indulge any longer on this."

Saya gave it up, then decided to just gaze out the window with irritation. Kohta plays with Alice to exert a mood besides the stress and awkward atmosphere.

"Hey", another feminine voice of Hailey's calls aloud for everyone to hear from under her mask, "I think we should stop. Jacob, think we should stop?"

Jacob, the driver of the Humvee, was a bit confused and speculated on what her ideal was. "Uh, why?"

"Because, we have a bit of a girl problem going on in here. Yeah, let's stop! We can drop the sword girl off with her lover so they can talk it off like the angry, old couple they are." Her voice was of sarcasm, but used in a serious meaning. "I mean, she's bugging the kid and the two four-eyes back there. Even bothering the hell outta me." Her Japanese was broken, but understandable enough.

Saeko clenches her teeth, holding her hand on the hilt of her kitana. "Don't say another word", she says through her clenched teeth. "Not another damn word, bitch."

Hailey lets out a whistle, then taps on Jacob's shoulder. "Stop it here so we can drop her off."

Jacob sighs, doing as told with an impatient grimace. "Hurry the hell up, sword girl. Jump in the MATV and switch with somebody."

Tucker came to a halt close behind the Humvee, then pushes the clutch to keep the vehicle mobile. Sounds of mortar rounds began once more, but luckily they were out of the kill zone.

"What's going on", Takashi says, cutting himself off from a conversation with his mother.

"I don't know", Tucker says, resting back in his seat.

Shizuka looks to Tucker with a smirk, then hugs him tightly. "I missed you so much!"

Tucker, being flustered by the sudden hug of a well-endowed woman, was taken aback with his arms held up. "Uh... Er..." His arms easily came to her back as a gentle hug. "Yeah, I missed you, too. Was kinda afraid that you guys were goners after you left."

Shizuka began to cry a bit as she looks up into the eye sockets of his mask. "We're so sorry, we didn't know you were trying to help us! After we left you, I tried to..."

Tucker shushes her as he places the mouth of his mask against her lips as a kiss between the mask. "I get it, I get it. It's fine, I understand. I'm just glad you and everyone else is safe."

Takashi began to feel a sense of guilt hearing this. The mercenary really did care for them. Even Kiriko and Rei had felt the same. Though, Mrs. Komuro was a bit confused by the unfamiliar atmosphere she felt.

Suddely, Shizuka's door swung open with Saeko behind it. "Shizuka, Connor said you and I had to switch places for the rest of the ride."

Shizuka looks over her shoulder at the teenage blue-haired girl, then pulls herself from Tucker's arms. Giving him one more glance with a bit of a seducing lick of her lips, she mouths a few words before stepping out and going to the rear hatch of the Humvee. Tucker shivers a bit of excitement as he caught the words, then rests back as Saeko took the passenger's seat. Her eyes were dead ahead, not meeting Tucker's worth one glance.

"Hey, Saeko", Tucker starts, "you're good? You look pissed."

"Keep your eyes forward, they're moving", was her simple response.

Tucker felt the tension and stress in her words, then pops the clutch back to drive and follows the rear of the vehicle.

Takashi looks to the back of Saeko's head in question, and was about to say something. But, Rei, Kiriko, and Mrs. Komuro stops him. He gave them a look, who returns the same facial expression. He _had_ to keep quiet. He didn't know why, but figured it was something a guy could not understand.

"Hey, um, you sure you guys are good", Tucker calls out with his eyes glancing to and from the sides of the streets for any of 'them'. "It's awfully quiet in here, don't ya think?" He lets off a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah, it is, huh", Kiriko then says. "I think a handsome man like yourself needs to focus on a certain gorgeous girl."

"Oh, you mean you? No, no, you _and_ Rei! Trick question, was it?"

As Saeko was dead silent, Kiriko and Rei blushes and became a bit flustered.

"N-No, not us", Rei says with a nervous chuckle. "We're not that..."

Kiriko had shut Rei up mid-sentence with her palm in front of Rei's mouth to not indulge on it any further. "No, not us sweety."

"Oh, Komuro-sama, then", Tucker asks.

And now, Mrs. Komuro was a bit flustered. Takashi, though, was a bit impatient on Tucker's stupidity. Even Takashi caught on.

Tucker lets out a sigh as he got out of his fun and games. "Hey, Saeko. What's the matter?" His voice was soft and tender, too tender for a mercenary.

Saeko, though, glances out her car door's window to the littered sidewalk of still corpses. "Nothing, don't ask any further of it."

For a few seconds, Tucker was silent. Then... "Saeko, I'm sorry. Since that time, I knew you didn't want your first time to end up like that. I knew it was the drink and not you. But I was too late to not notice it."

More silence. Everyone in the back became interested like it was some opera. Though, Rei had a look of jealousy as she may think what Tucker was referring to. Even Takashi, just a little.

"I mean, I figured it would break you down if I speak about it, but I guess I was wrong. I should've sat down and talked to you about it. And I know another thing you may be thinking: 'Why Shizuka _and_ me?' I'll answer that for you... You two make a whole."

"That's bullshit", Saeko interrupts.

"No, it's not. Ever hear stories where a man can't pick one over the other? That's like my situation. I'm sorry, but it is. I can't choose you over her. I can't choose Shizuka over you. Saeko... I love you. Through this short time, I love you and Shizuka as something more. You two are like a reminder of what I fight for, remind me of who kept egging me on in the past. Your band of high schoolers are nothing I have ever seen. You guys always amaze me, you guys are always prepared for anything, you guys _want_ to _live_. And you fight for that purpose, and the purpose of finding your loved ones, no matter what... And through the time I was with you, I've been fighting myself with so many things. I lost my friends. I lost a good squad we were with. I took you and Shizuka to bed because of the intoxication of the alcohol. I've been a dick here and there. I abandoned those guys back when we got Kiriko. And now..." He drew a breath. "I'm fighting with myself that my company messed up this world." His voice cracked a bit, then the sound of a deep gulp. "_We_ killed so many people. We even killed our own friends, our own comrades, our damn family. And all we are doing is just cleaning up our own mess. I mean, FUCK!"

He halts the MATV suddenly, facing Saeko who was staring at him the whole time he spoke. Tucker held his hand to his chest. "We fucked up this world because this damn terrorist paid the company! Only for the cash! Some of us lost our own family members back home! Some of us had to kill our own friends WHEN THEY ARE IN THAT FUCKING UNDEAD STATE!" His voice was screaming everything he had hid under his shell. "Because of us... BECAUSE OF US! Because of us, I killed my own squad! Each and every Alpha Providence mercenary has blood on their hands!" His gloved hands reaches for her Saeko's shouders as support so he can rest his head against her chest. "I've thought several times on killing myself... But you guys... You guys needed saving... So I kept going..."

Saeko, as well as the others, was speechless. So it was Alpha Providence that committed this horrid act. They were the ones who created the virus that killed their family and friends. And yet... Saeko wraps her arms around Tucker and pulls him against her chest.

"I accept your apology, Tucker-kun", Saeko finally says softly.

Connor was at Tucker's closed car door, ready to open it. But seeing the reason why he suddenly stopped the vehicle, Connor decided against it. He left back to the Humvee to his seat behind Jacob with a sigh. "Tucker spilled the beans, guys", Connor says in English. "Regulations say we oughta kill him. But I'm thinking we should let this one slide. I mean, it was for the greater good."

Kraus was about to say something, but decided against it and kept his eyes to their surroundings.

Moments later, they pull into the front entrance of Shintoko Third Elementary school. The place was crowded with people. Some were locals, and others were military. Helicopters were grounded where as several others fly over head. As the Humvee and MATV pulls into a parking spot beside the school, an individual with a mask having a dent on the right cheek of his mask and a faded, dark red stripe going down the left eye socket stood behind the vehicles as if he was waiting for everyone to come out. Despite his dimly glowing red eye sockets, his attire was nearly all form fitting. His long sleeved torso attire was a tactical mesh with kevlar woven material and his vest fitted well to his chest. At his abdomen, he had three full mag pouches and around his hip having different assorted pouches. On his thighs, he had a sidearm fitted in a holster on each upper thigh and two thin knives at the side of his calves each. All his attire in which was a navy blue digital camo.

As Tucker and Connor's squad exited the vehicle with the teens and Zeke, they stood at the position of attention with a solid American salute. "Commander, sir", they all say. Though, the badass looking individual raises his hand as a way to ease up, which they did as they relaxed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, sorry for having to bombard your pos", he says, his voice sounding being deep and low toned, as if speaking through a messedup gas mask or voice changer. Probably the effects of the mask. "Thanks for bringing in the civvies, but as you know, we are not done." He looks to the Takashi's group of survivors. "Can you all leave us alone?"

Takashi nods to the individual, leading his group elsewhere to find Rei's father in the midst of the large crowd.

"Now... 'They' are closing in. And fast. The ruckus is drawing every Zulus in the damn city and over towards this location. Freelance squads are around the perimeter, holding off the bastards as much as they can. But, it won't be enough. 2nd Battalion 1st Marines will be moving in, as well as an MSOT from 1st MSOB. Now, it is their job to fend 'em off. Your job will be to watch the fence. And I mean literally stay around the fence for security purposes. 101st Airborne will dropping in. So, now you know how bad it will be."

"Sir, what about the SDF", Hailey asks.

The commander claps his hands together and held them above his head. "Shit, yeah. They'll be the ones handling the relocation of the civvies. The SAT will be the main helpers with us. Bad news: we lost five squads. Yes, all have been confirmed KIA. Tucker, buddy, I almost marked your squad down as KIA, but when I got a bead on your sensors, I figured this: you're moving to Freelance 0-4. As they failed on retrieving Souichiro Takagi, they lost a man. You'll be filling in. Tell Kolveshka I said hey."

"Sir, I don't have proper training", Tucker replies, ignoring his commander's last sentence. "And did you say all Freelance squads are out in the perimeter?"

"Yes, I know I know. Shut it for now, you'll be relocating after the mess is cleaned up."

"Cleaned up? Like, officially cleaned up?"

"Yeah. We found the guy who made the virus. It was one of our own, sorta. Apparently, he was working as an insider as one of our scientists. Once we caught him, we forced him to create the cure, the _right_ way."

"Forced him? But, how can you do that? If he made the virus, how can you guys make him create the cure? And how do you know if he'll make it right?"

"Well... The bastard made the mistake of having a family. We took his girlfriend and kid, told him we raped her and showed him a forged video we edited with expertise, took off a few of his toes, made his kid scream like he was being beaten, and some other shit. But the whole time, his family were sitting in a nice room and eating chow and drinking nice wine and apple juice. You guys know how we operate under torture. CIA stuff."

"Huh...", they all mutter, dumbfounded.

"And why didn't you tell us all in briefing a few days back", Connor asks.

"And when will the cure come into effect", Jacob asks.

"Fuck, too many questions", the commander shouts, holding his head. With a sigh, he answers, "I didn't tell everyone the full story because if I did, there may have been an insider in our infantry ranks that'll report our findings to whoever they work for. And if that happens, everything would've gone to shit worse than shit. And the cure will come into effect in two days."

"Two fucking days", Kraus blurts in disbelief.

"Yeah, two fucking days. Dismissed."

Everyone then went their ways. Connor and his squad had gone to patrol around the gates as ordered and Tucker had went to find Takashi and his group before having to go on his patrol. And soon, he did find them: all having a welcoming greeting to Rei's father, who had trouble keeping his stance considering that fact that Rei had charged him with a hug. Saeko glances to Tucker's direction, giving him a soft smile. That was the smile Tucker had been waiting for before having to leave to his post.

Later on, the commander was at the defensive perimeter with a MKII blade held in his grip in a reverse hold. It was dripping with blood from three of his victims while he was on his way to his squad's position.

"Hey, Commander", a man says through his mask, decorated with scratch marks made into a skull. He jams his thumb over his shoulder towards some stairs leading to the roof. "Killjoy and the others are up top doing recon. They said we might do a jump."

"Copy that, Reaper", the commander says, hurrying up the stairs while sliding the knife into the sheath on his left bicep. Once he reached the top, he was greeted with running into a woman's chest, dressed similarly as the commander and Reaper.

The girl pushes him off of her, then held her chest as she whimpers. "Damn pervy Commander", she mutters.

"Put those dogs away next time, Fox", he replies as he made his way to the near-edge of the roof of the tall apartment building. Now he was standing beside three others who were surveying the streets below. And what they are surveying is a large horde heading towards the school's direction. "Not a good sight..."

"Tell me about it", a man says, crouched beside the commander. Even his accent being foreign. "Plan is that we'll jump to that tanker right there", he then says, pointing to a tipped-over truck with a gas tanker. "We plant a chip bomb on the thing, fall back, then blow it. Once we do that, the blast will be big enough to covered this street and the other two to the sides that 1st MSOT is at. It'll even take out some of the undead fucks."

The commander nods, patting the man's shoulder lightly. "Good job, Diablo. 1st MSOT will be falling back to their battalion, anyway."

"Thanks, bud."

"Oh, and the marines are calling in CAS more frequently", a feminine voice says. "I don't think their trip back will be so safe."

"Then call in a halt when the order to fall back is given", the commander says to the girl. "Come on, Vixen. Use your brains."

"Well, just saying is all."

"Pact, any orders after this", another guys says, lying on his stomach with his M107A1 sniper rifle aimed ahead. "There's too much of them to keep up with."

"Yeah, we fall back" the commander says, his codename said to be Pact. "Nothing else we can do, Archer. The SAT cleared an airport not too long ago. Once the civvies move there, Alpha Providence will begin Operation Spring Clean."

"Copy that, sir."

"Alright Freelance 0-1, let's get moving."

"Aroo!" Everyone calls out. Reaper steps up to the roof, closing the door behind him.

"Front exit is blocked off, guys", Reaper announces as he taps on his TWC-3 wrist computer. "Looks like the jump is the best route."

"Then let's get it on, shall we, sir", Fox says to Pact with a playful seducing tone.

Pact grins under his mask, then gave everyone a nod. "We shall." Then, slowly, he fell forward off the roof, followed by everyone else who just jumps off.

Before reaching a certain distance from the ground, Pact moves to a feet-first diving position then taps his screen of his TWC-3. Once he did, the back of his vest began to burst out powerful bursts of air which controls his descent until he finally met the ground with ease. As he came to crouch, he shoulders his Remington R5 RGP rifle with an AAC suppressor and hybrid sights. As everyone had descend into a similar position as Pact, they began to move forward whilst squeezing off single-shot rounds at the crowding undead with ease as if it was nothing. Even as they crept into the crowd of 'them' between Freelance 0-1 and the gas tanker.

Tucker leans back against the fence with his mask hanging by his vest and his balaclava stashed in his pocket. He watches the civilians mingling around with their friends and family, and other being loaded on Ospreys. Tucker had wished his squad was there to see this. Maybe they are...

"Tucker-kun", the familiar voice of Rei calls out.

As Tucker glances up to Rei, she was pulling her father by his arm as her mother follows with Takashi and the others. "Hey, guys", was his simple reply.

Kohta got a look at Tucker's new rifle, the Remington MSR sniper rifle. He studies it with a strange look, squealing and gasping with excitement. "Man, if I had my hands on these military grade weapons, I'd...!"

Though, Tucker snatches the rifle from Kohta's reach and gave him a cocky smirk. "I'm holding this for a Freelancer, so don't even try to get your hands on this baby."

"Freelancer", Kohta asks with a sulking tone.

"Yeah, they're the elite of the elite in Alpha Providence."

As Kohta sulks more of want for the MSR rifle, Takashi decided to speak. "Hey, this is Rei's father, Tadashi Miyamoto." With the brief introduction between Tucker and Tadashi, they exchange firm handshakes with a 'How are ya' and 'Nice to meet you'. "Also, we were curious on what you were talking about earlier with that guy. Well, if you can tell us."

"Well, I can't", Tucker replies straight up as he withdrew his hand from Tadashi's. "But I will anyway. To get straight to the point, we're fucked if we stay here any longer. There's an airport that's been cleared out by the SAT, so Alpha Providence and 1st MSOB of MARSOC Marines will be moving you all over there. When 101st Airborne of the US Army drops in, we'll be doing our own thing."

"And your own thing... Is that about the virus you've been talking about?"

Tucker sighs as he rests his chin against the tip of the large suppressor of the MSR. "Yeah. We'll take a drive to Tokyo where we'll have to manually set the cure to go off. There are other places in the world that will be doing the same, but since this is the main artery to the heart of the virus, it'll be big. Tokyo is a mega fucked place, so it'll take every man to get to the center where the cure will spread throughout the country."

"An artery to the heart", Saya questions. "What exactly is that suppose to mean?"

"Well..." Tucker scratches the back of his head with a troubled look. "The virus had gone off in China and Brazil simultaneously. We had a corrupted scientist working in our labs, so he tinkered with a new medicine we had been trying to make for the terrorist that paid us and, well... He created this shit. So, it is safe to say that _we_ didn't cause it. Some terrorist group did."

Tadashi rubs the back of his neck as his mind processes. "I see... So, you're waiting here to aid us, the police force, with the evacuation so you can haul ass over to Tokyo to clean up the mess?"

"Bingo. Also, as we are getting mauled over here and some of our guys are out in the perimeter fighting off Zulus, our guys in Brazil had already set the cure. But, um..." Tucker chokes back some emotion, then continues. "Roughly ninety percent of the guys that got stationed there are wiped out. And right now, the guys that survived, they're having their memorial at our Pacific Base 0-4."

As Takashi's group had fell silent over hearing such a thing, a woman dressed in desert camo colored attire, though same material as Pact and the other Freelance squads, walks to Tucker with popping sways in her hips. Even her dirtied face gave off a bitchy look to add to her outer personality. She grabs the rifle from Tucker's grasp, grabs him by his jaw, and kisses him on his cheek. "Thank you, dorogoy", she simply says in English, her accent being light foreign.

Takashi's group had gone from a look of sorrow to a look of shock. Tucker, though, pulls his face away from the woman's hands like an embarrassed child before saying, "The commander said hey."

"_My_ dorogoy said? I'll reward him later, then." As the woman glances to the teens and adults from under the bangs of her short hair, she held her rifle over her shoulder and rests her free hand on her hip. "You must be the group Tucker had saved. A pleasure to meet you." And like that, she walks off.

"W-Who is that", Shizuka and Saeko asks almost simultaneously.

And as response from Tucker, he leans back against the fence again and crosses his arms. "Ex-Spetsnaz chick. When the commander hired her, she was put in my squad a while back when I was 19 years old. She moved to a Freelance squad the next month, but in that month she was cool to us. Deadly, but cool. Actually, I think she's part of the squad that failed on capturing Souichiro. Oh shit, I think she may be in 0-4..."

Saeko was silent for a moment, then glances at the long sheath that held Tucker's tanto machete beside him. "You use a sword?"

"Yep, but it's not a sword. I'd like to call it a... Well, you may have a point there..." Tucker's eyes travels from his sheathed blade to Saeko's hip. "Have you used the pistol I got you?"

As Saeko opens her mouth to speak, a loud explosion sounds off in the distance, though still rocks the earth beneath everyone's feet. Then, people began shouting in broken Japanese, "Move, move! Load up, we're moving you to Tokonosu Airport!"

Tucker looks over his shoulder towards the sound of the explosion, where jets began to zoom overhead. Quickly, he puts on his balaclava and hardened mask, then grabs his new HK416 rifle with modded attachments. "All of you have to leave here, now."

Takashi looks around at everyone scrambling and yelling, thinking that there might not be a ride for everyone. "Y-Yeah, I think we should."

Th sound of gunfire erupts close by, and as everyone turns to see the commotion, they had seen the familiar masked individual of Connorfiring burst rounds from his SCAR-L to a police office as he yells, "Gates been breached, LOAD THE GODDAMN CIVVIES AND EVAC THEM THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!"

As other Alpha Providence squads scramble around and round up the civilians, Tucker led Takashi and his group towards the Ospreys. "Look, guys. Once you load up and make it to the airport, the SAT should be there. Look for a purple-haired chick and tan skin; she's a friend of mine. She'll help you guys out."

Shizuka blinks as she follows closely behind, then smiles wide despite the situation. "Is her name Rika Minami?"

Tucker stops for a moment, looking back to Shizuka through the dark sockets of his mask. "How the fuck do you... Never mind." He continues onward, but as one Osprey had lifted off, everyone began to panic some more, thinking that such a large group of people would not get evacuated. "Shit... EVERYONE CALM DOWN! THERE ARE MORE OSPREYS ON THE WAY!" Tucker shouts aloud for everyone to hear, as did other Alpha Providence members to calm the crowd.

Just as the crowd had calmed down just a little, though, more gunfire erupts around the gates. "Yo, we need backup over here", a Marine shouts from his Humvee's gunning turret.

Tucker hisses under his mask then faces everybody. "Alright people, this is good bye. Be good out there and stay fucking safe, you hear me?"

He looks down at Alice with a soft smile, then rubs her head. "Keep that donkey safe for me, understand?"

Alice gave Tucker a nod, looking as though she was close to tears. Shizuka was the same, too.

"Why are you crying, huh?" Tucker chuckles as he hugs the buxom twenty-seven year old, pulling Saeko into the three-way hug. "Just get the hell outta here and somewhere safe, you hear me Takashi? And you adults, these kids fought to find you all. Stay by them at all times." For the first time, he sounded like an adult.

Saya glances elsewhere, her arms crossed and face hidden. Tucker seeing this smiles a little under his mask. "You're still an idiot, baka", Saya grumbles.

"Well, jeez, thanks for the morale boost, Pinky", Tucker says with a chuckle as he pulls away from his girls. Though, to his surprise, Saya glomps the guy with a hug, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"Hey, Tucker", Connor voice shouts somewhere. "Once you're done fucking Ms. Loud Mouth, get your ass over here!"

Saya blushes, decoding the English and pulling back with a grunt. "Just don't get yourself killed!"

Tucker was still a bit winded on what happened, but left off towards the fences.

Takashi watches the mercenary leave, then faces his group. "We should get going, shall we? We finally have our way out of here."

Everyone had a look of depression, as well as the look of hope. After a few minutes, the group was finally loaded into an Osprey with more than two dozen others. Though, their guns were confiscated, except Saeko's sword whom she told off the Marine for trying to take the precious gift of Saya's father's. Finally, after having to do the final set up of their take-off, the pilots began to lift off with the rotary wings unfolding. Once they got off the ground by about a hundred feet or so, they can clearly see the massive horde several blocks away and retreating troops, all heading towards the school from through the open loading ramp.

"Shit, I don't think Senpai might make it", Kohta says in awe.

Shizuka held her hands over her mouth as Saeko looks away. Rei held Takashi's arm as her mind thought over how Tucker's life might end, and Alice being distracted by Saya's cheek pinching. Takashi's and Rei's parents mingles to one another to distract themselves from the outside as Kiriko held Zeke. A man dressed in an olive green digital camo uniform walks around the cargo bay with his AR-15 rifle held across his chest. As he reached near the loading ramp, he faces a man bent over his knees.

"Oy, sit up straight, sir", the SDF soldier told the man. Even the man's wife tried to shake him. "Sir, please sit up. It's procedure."

Finally, as the Osprey had begun to move forward, the man jumps up to the soldier and bit down on his neck, chewing away at his flesh. The SDF soldier fell back with his eyes rolling in the back of his head, choking up blood and his arm holding the rifle spread towards everyone. And, due to the nervous system, his trigger finger squeezes, rapid rounds spraying towards everyone. In front of Takashi, rounds penetrate into the bodies of a man and, supposedly, his little daughter. More rounds ripple throughout the cargo bay, hitting about eight others. People scream and scramble towards the ladder to the cockpit. As the pilot turns to see what was happening, he pulls an M1911 pistol and points it to a woman just as she pokes her head up from the ladder, shooting her in the surprised look on her face. She was not bitten, but the pilot had thought otherwise.

Now, the entire Osprey was in mayhem. Saeko cuts down the infected man, but before she could stab her sword into the skull of the fallen SDF soldier, another zombie tackles her against the seat, dangerously close to the loading ramp. Takashi pulls the zombie off of her and moves his head aside from behind its head as Saeko thrusts her blade straight between its eyes. People began to scream some more as there were two more of 'them', now three if you want to count the SDF soldier.

"This is Mama Bird 2-9, we have been breached, I repeat, we have been breached...", the pilot says in his radio. Then, his eyes widen at what was in front of him. "No, don't fire!"

Though, the attack helicopter in front of the Osprey shot a single ATA missile towards the cockpit of the Osprey as the loading ramp had slowly came to a close...

Tucker had loaded up in his MATV with three other Marines and two Alpha Providence members in the troop carrier in the back. As he pops the clutch and reverses, he caught sight of the Osprey spinning out of control and going down towards the route they were suppose to take to Tokyo. "Fucking shit..."

"Are those civvies", a Marine asks aloud.

"Fuck yeah, we're going to catch 'em on the way", Tucker answers as he had driven along with the convoy of helicopters, MRAPs, MATVs, and Humvees.

Pact and his squad stood at a crouch behind a corner, letting the undead pass by them quietly. All shelling of artillery had stopped, indicating that everyone back at the evac site has been moved. Once they all had passed, they hurry over to the cafe across the street where an MSOT, all fifteen of the MARSOC Marine troops, were waiting around the counter. Each were peppered with blood and checking their weapons quietly as the radioman does a frequency check.

"Listen up", Pact says to the Marine Raiders, "the convoy will be rolling in soon. Right now, they're roughly two mikes away from doing an exfil on 1st Marines. After that, our pickup will come by. We are right on the convoy's route."

"Alright, thanks for the info", the team leader says. "Our radioman couldn't pick up shit, so we're glad you came down to fill us in."

"Yeah, no problem." Pact was about to rest easy, but the sound of a nearby crash shook everyone.

"Shit", a Marine Raider hisses quietly as he shoulders his weapon. "That fucker drew in every Zulu on the block and over!"

"We're moving to check it out, you're up for it", Pact asks the team leader.

Having to think it over, the team leader shrugs and motions his team to follow. "On you, bud."

Pact then crouches and walks towards the crash site a block away from the cafe. Once they reached it, Pact saw familiar faces of teenagers and adults beside the crashed Osprey, the ones that were with Tucker and Connor. "Hey, you kids alright", Pact asks as he hurries towards them.

Everyone in Takashi's group, thank God, was alive but injured.

"No, w-we're badly hurt over here", Saya says, holding her head. Yet again, she sustained an injury. Luckily, it wasn't that bad.

The Raiders began moving the survivors away from the flaming aircraft carefully, whether they were dragging them or holding their arm around their neck for support to walk.

"You kids are with us", Archer says, holding his M107A1 rifle up with Diablo, who held his AN-94 rifle up as well, both taking point as they walk back towards the cafe carefully.

"I don't like this", Vixen says to Pact. "If we have to hump these guys with us, they'll get in the way."

Fox agrees, her back to everyone as she watches the rear with Reaper. "I agree with Sis, but we can't just leave 'em here to die like that."

Pact didn't like the way things were going right now. An Osprey holding more than two dozen people had crashed, and only ten people had survived that crash. Talk about a damn miracle. "We're bringing them. The Marines have spare MRAPs, so we can load the kids with us, or with Tucker. But the transition has to be quick, considering the noise from the crash."

"Copy that", all 0-1 members reply quietly. Up ahead, Archer spotted a masked individual dressed as a Freelancer, but with desert camo.

"We got a couple Freelance squads at bay in the cafe", Diablo and Archer announces to everyone.


	9. Briefing

_A few more chapters left. Enjoy this one and be prepared for more._

...

Tucker came to a halt with the convoy. The Marine to his side curses under his breath and he glances around at the sluggish undead at their surroundings, which were getting mowed down by the attack helicopters and gunners of ground vehicles. "Shit, there's no end to these fucked, huh?"

"Fuckin' nah, brothuh", a Marine in the back replies. "This is Japan, the home of fuckin' baby makin' and anime babes."

"Fuck, if only this was an anime."

Everyone began to chuckle a bit with their eyes to their surroundings. Things were a bit difficult to see considering the artillery and air support from earlier. They couldn't see no more than roughly fifty meters from their position. Suddenly, a knock was heard at the passenger's door, so the Marine opens it to see the masked individual holding a little girl with a donkey clutched to her chest.

"Make room for the little one, fellas", the deep toned guy says as he places the little girl on the Marine's lap. "We're a bit packed, so you've got no choice. An Osprey crash landed and only ten made it outta that crash. Tucker."

"Yes, sir", Tucker responds.

"Your group is that ten. They're distributed throughout the convoy and getting patched up, so you've got no worries. But, they're with us from now on. We'll keep an eye on them."

"Copy that, sir. Thank you."

"Yeah, no problem. From here on, drop the damn formalities. Pact is all you need to call me until this op is cleared away."

"Copy, si-... Er, Pact."

"Alright, let's get it moving." As Pact shuts the door, he taps the hood and shouts aloud for the convoy to hear over the gunfire, "Time to move it, everyone!"

As the convoy began to move forward, the Marine holding Alice looks down at the stuffed donkey. "Is that yours?"

Alice shook her head shyly. "No, it's his", she answers, glancing to Tucker. "But he let me have it."

The Marine gave Tucker a You've-gotta-be-kidding-me look then looks down at Alice again as he fixes her to a more comfortable position on his lap. "You remind me of my little girl. How old are ya?" The Marine's voice was soft and kind.

"I-I'm seven."

"Whoa, seriously?" The Marine's voice sounded as though he didn't believe it, but he was just trying to act like a cool father, a title he once held until hearing the news from back at home. "Yeah, you're just like my little girl." He would ask about her parents, but considering how the world is, he wouldn't bother with it. "Tucker is a great guy, huh?"

"Mhm, he saved us many times. He gave us stuff, he's funny, and brought us to a place to sleep."

"Wow, really? Sounds like a cool superhero."

"Mhm!" She finally puts on a cheery look to the Marine, who returns the gesture. The Marines in the back shuts up so they wouldn't have to have the little one listen to their profanity.

As radio traffic came in, Tucker listens closely. He caught some keywords like "SAT", "Evac complete", and "Halt in five mikes".

"Guess we're meeting up with the SAT, huh", a Marine in the back states. "Wonder where the fu-... Er, where the heck we're staying as a command post."

"Probably one of those buildings at the outskirts of Tokyo", Tucker says.

"Probably? Dude, you're an Alpha, right? Just like the two in the troop carrier? Thought you guys were solid in situations like this?"

"Not this, no. But fighting against Talis, Russkies, terrorist and gangs, war lords... Yeah, we'd have it solid. But something like this? Hell no. Just like you bullet sponges, we don't know shi-... A thing."

"Double time it, now", the radio on the dashboard suddenly commands loudly, the voice of Pact. "This is a one way road and this damn road is fucking littered with Zulus! Run 'em over, stay with the convoy!"

As Tucker switches gears, the convoy ahead of him speeds up. As he sped up to their speed, he saw in his rear view mirrors that the other vehicles behind him were catching up. The attack helos up ahead were firing off AGM missiles to the sides of the streets and buildings, the debris falling down and atop the large crowds of 'them'. Too much for even a convoy of gunners to handle. As the rampage and speed goes on, the Marine held Alice closely so she wouldn't be tossed around by the bumping of the vehicle running over the debris and corpses.

"Fucking shit", a Marine blurts, holdings onto Tucker's seat. "I swear, if that damn AGM hits near us one more time...!"

And to his misfortune, another missile hits dangerously close to the vehicle. The shockwave made the Marine vomit out his spaghetti MRE lunch out the window and all over the dead undead corpses.

Tucker laughs at the sound as the Marine with Alice held his hands over Alice's ears.

"Fuckin' hell, this ride is shitty", the Marine with complains.

As the convoy slows down once more, everyone relaxes. Even more so as the convoy came to a halt.

"This is it, guys", the radio announces. "Dismount. We'll quickly brief who clears the building and who watches the convoy."

As Tucker, the Marines, and the two mercenaries exit out the MATV with Alice, the attack helos overhead zooms off elsewhere to draw away as much of 'them' as they can with the sound. Though, Tucker looks over the helmets and heads of the soldiers and mercenaries in search of Takashi and his group. And he did. They were all herded to a large troop carrier by the Marines. So, Tucker grabs Alice's arm and led her to the truck, where he lifts the girl up and inside the back with the others.

"Tucker-kun", Shizuka blurts, leaning down and hugging his face in her chest. "I was so worried!"

Tucker squirms around, trying to get out. Once he broke free, he laughs softly and replies, "Yeah... Wait, no! _I _was worried about you guys! When I saw the Osprey going down, I fuckin'...!" Tucker lets out a sigh and looks at everyone. Saya had a bandage around her head and Tadashi had on a sling. Other than that, everyone looked fine. "I'm just glad you guys are safe right now. Moms and Pop, how're you doing?"

Tadashi tries to hold up his injured arm. "Peachy", he replies sarcastically with a grin.

"We're fine, Tucker-kun", Mrs. Komuro says.

"Still kicking", Kiriko then replies.

"Great", Tucker says with a hidden grin, then looks to the kids. He thought about some things. How will they make it out of here? "Alright kids, stay here unless directed to move. I'm telling you this both as a soldier and as a friend. Alright?"

"Wakata", they all say. But before Tucker had left, Saeko grips his arm to stop him.

"Be safe out there", Saeko says to Tucker quietly before letting him go.

"Of course, baby girl", Tucker shouts to her as he leaves off to get briefed on how things will go.

As time passes, Tucker now stacks up against the wall to a door with his HK416 rifle up a bit. Behind him was one other mercenary with their weapon shouldered to the ground, and another two stacked up against the wall in front of them in a similar, crouched position. In front of the door was a feminine figure with desert camo Freelance combat attire, her rifle aimed at the door. Finally, she steps towards it and kicks it in as she hurries inside. Tucker and the first guy adjacent from him enters through the door quickly as the last two kept their eyes on the hallway.

"Clear", the woman says through her mask. She turns to face Tucker and nods her head to the window. "Oy, dorogoy. This is a great view to our objective, eh?"

Tucker looks out the windowed side of the office room, finding himself looking over the distant tallest tower, Tokyo Skytree, and buildings surrounding it. "Oorah, Kolveshka. Open area, good view... Can use the window to map out the landscape."

"Exactly what I was thinking." Kolveshka sets her MSR on the desk and looks to the blood stained picture of whoever took office here. "Look at this man. Has a wife and kid. Or _had_. Pretty sad world, eh?"

A guy from her squad Freelance 0-4 nods in agreement quietly. Tucker, though, looks away. "That's right", he then says.

The two that were still out in the hall enters the room and looks to Kolveshka. "Kapitan, the all-clear signal has been issued", one of the two announces, her accent similar to Kolveshka's. "Everyone is moving inside."

"Thank you, Bravo."

"So that's your Freelance codename", Tucker asks Kolveshka.

"That's right, Dorogoy. You'll be taking the last girl's codename, Echo. You can't change it unless you've earned it. And yeah, I know you'll be relocating here later on, but think of it as something to consider before getting in."

"Huh...", Tucker murmurs. "What about the other three?"

"Currently, we only have one man in here, the silent one", Kolveshka says, nodding her head to the quiet guy staring out the window as she crosses one leg over the other. "For being the only man, he earned his own codename, Geist. The two girls in front of me is Bravo and Snegurochka. Snegurochka earned her name by killing a man with _his_ own hands. And it was in the middle of a snowy day, so you can get the jist of the pure red view. And Miss Lonely over there..." She points her leg to another girl standing by the door. "That's Tesla. She's the brains of the group. One time when we were captured, she used just a pair of jump cables to break us outta that hell hole."

"So that's how it works", Tucker mutters.

"That's right", she says cheekily.

Under his mask, Tucker mouthed the word 'Wow' then looks out the window once more. Soon after, Pact and his squad, followed by two other squads of six mercenaries each and a group of fourteen Marine Raiders, enters with boxes and crates they set aside and pop open, pulling out equipment and setting them up. As they did so, Pact looks out the window to survey the landscape then spoke aloud, "The virus will take roughly twelve hours until it goes under full effect. The guys in Brazil were slaughtered for that specific reason. They figured that it would be an instantaneous thing, so they weren't so worried when their rides would pick 'em up. To that mistake, their ride arrived only to pick up three squads out of fourteen. And now, I can't guarantee everybody in this building a ticket back home. But I will, in all my power, plan out this whole thing precisely so I can at least get as many people as I can to get that ticket. Aroo?"

"Aroo", everyone in the office room replies softly, still setting everything up.

"Yo, commander", Diablo says as he leans back against the wall beside a bookcase. "Killjoy's guys finished their escort of the SAT squad; they landed precisely a minute ago."

"Great." Pact looks to Tucker as he spoke to him, "This area is sealed off for Freelancers and MARSOC Marine Raiders only. Go rest up, check your gear, resupply yourself with battery chips... Relax for now, Tucker."

"Yes, sir." Then, Tucker left out.

"And he still calls me that", Pact mutters to himself with a sigh.

A purple-haired woman with tanned skin leans back against a wall in the building's large hallway whilst smoking up her cigarette, her eyes glancing here and there at the lounging Marines and masked mercenaries. Some were eating their MREs, some cleaning their weapons, and there were some hiding away as they wept. As she took a drag from her cigarette, she pulls it away from her parted lips and glances at the end of the hall, spotting a peculiar masked merc talking to a dark-haired teenage kid.

"Who is she, anyway", Takashi asks.

"Won't say, the chick sends a shiver up my spine by just talking about her", Tucker replies with a sheepish chuckle.

"Scary, am I", the purple-haired woman whisper beside Tucker's head in English.

Slowly, Tucker turns to face the woman with a hidden look of surprise, fear, and joy all mixed into one. "U-Uh, hey there Rika."

"How ya been?" Rika Minami, a Special Assault Team sniper specialist member, puts Tucker in a head lock with a sweet smile as she unstraps the back of Tucker's mask with difficulty, soon dropping it to the side and pulling off the balaclava. "Oh wow, still looking goddamn handsome since Okinawa", Rika says plainly, staring at Tucker's struggling look.

"Yeah, yeah", Tucker replies, glancing to Rika at the corner of his eyes. "Your hair got longer, too."

"Oh yeah? Thanks for notici-..."

Tucker slips out of Rika's grasp, grabbing her by her leg and picking her up to where she was now held over his shoulder like a trophy, her bottom right by his face. He looks to Takashi with a smile of victory and taps Rika on her upper thigh. "This here is Rika", Tucker says genuinely.

Takashi had a look of concern for the two, but bows slightly as a greeting to... Rika's ass apparently. "I'm Takashi Komuro, nice to see you."

"See what, my damn ass", Rika shouts, squirming around in Tucker's secured hold. She pounds her fists against his back and flails her legs to unbalance him, though all were apparently useless. "Tucker, let me down, now you asshole!"

Tucker looks at Rika's ass, talking to her from there. "Really? Let you down?" He did as asked, nearly dropping her forward.

As Rika swung her hand back to slap the hell out of Tucker, he grabs her hand just before it met his cheek and gave her a smile. "What the hell are you smiling about", she growls in Japanese.

"It's great to see you again, you still got that temper."

"I wouldn't have it if you weren't such an ass."

"Speaking of ass...", Tucker replies with a smirk as Rika rips her hand from Tucker's grasp.

"Shut the fuck up. Anyway, you've gotten buffed up since last time. What the hell happened? Thought you were still in the Marine Corps?"

"Nah, I decided to do something a little more pro and dangerous."

"Really now", she says with a roll of her eyes. Before Tucker explodes on her about her cheeky look, she added, "I'm glad to see that you were able to mature up. Most of all safe."

"R-Really? Shit, when did you become soft?"

Before Rika replies, a shriek was heard behind Takashi, then the shout of Rika's name in Shizuka's voice. At that, Rika lit up and looks to the running Shizuka, opening her arms out to her. "God, you're safe?! I'm so glad!"

Shizuka ran into Rika's arms, rubbing her cheek against Rika's as her well-endowed breasts presses against Rika's plump breasts. "Oh it's so great to see you again!"

Tucker chuckles a bit, grabbing his hardened mask and balaclava before heading down the hall to the Marines and mercenaries. "Yo guys, how's it going", he asks aloud as he sat with a group of Marines.

"All good, brother", a Marine replies, his voice a bit muffled by his beard. The guy looks like he kicks ass for a living. "What're you mercs here for, that's my question."

"We're here as support, that's all."

"Never heard about you guys until yesterday, so I'm curious about what you guys do."

"Well, since the world is almost over, might as well... I'll tell you guys a bit of history, all but Karachi. That shit is something we never speak about..." Then, Tucker began explaining the first time Alpha Providence came into reality, which came to a surprise to everyone. They didn't believe it at first. "I'm not saying it for shits and giggles, I'm serious. We originated in a tavern back in the 1152. That's right, like how you guys came up in Tun Tavern."

"No fucking way", another Marine blurts with a chuckle.

As the soldiers were enjoying their time, Takashi was in the break room where his group were sitting around, eating actual food, and just talking. Rei was happily talking to her mother and father. Seeing her happy expression after finding her family was very relieving, a good sight for Takashi. Hirano, playing with Alice, was weaponless for once. Saya watches the two with her bitchy look, then went in and pinches Alice's cheek as if they were natural sisters. Mrs. Komuro held Zeke and watches everyone with a soft smile.

"Hey, Mom", Takashi says, going to sit with Mrs. Komuro. "I don't mean to bring him up, but you think Dad is alright?"

Mrs. Komuro looks down at Zeke with a softened look then simply answers, "Who knows? In a world like this, we never know who's safe or not. But I deeply hope he's fine. I hope that he's somewhere safe from 'them'."

Takashi, feeling empathetic, places his hand on his mother's shoulder and gave her a reassured smile. "You're right. I hope he's fine, too. Right now, we should focus on each other's safety, I should've realized that sooner."

Mrs. Komuro was a bit shocked, and the look was visible on her face. "You've grown up so much, Takashi." Zeke turns around and lies on Mrs. Komuro's lap like the puppy he is.

Shizuka and Rika stood in the same general area in the hall, both talking as Rika smokes up the last of her second cigarette. "Wow, so you're here to help out these guys", Shizuka asks Rika.

"Yeah, they don't know the area too well", Rika answers. "And plus, having an extra gun is always good for a push to that tower, the Tokyo Skytree."

"It makes sense, since they all seem to be American."

"Oh no, not all. A friend of mine is in this mercenary group called Alpha Providence. You saw that sexy guy I was talking to earlier? Yeah, those guys dressed in the all black fitting suit come from all over the world."

"Oh, yeah, Tucker-kun", Shizuka says.

"Wait, you know him?"

"Yeah, he's the guy that saved us. One time, he drew away a horde of 'them' when we crashed for us to escape and... Well... We left him but... He still came back looking for us."

"Damn, seriously?" Rika held an impressed look as she looks to Tucker's general direction. "What a kid..."

"And he's, um..." Shizuka blushes with a smile as she held her cheeks, squirming around like a lovestruck teenage girl as memories flows in. "He's certainly a man in another meaning..."

"Wait, what?! What do you mean by that?!" Rika held Shizuka by her shoulders, staring at her in her eyes as her cigarette fell from her parted lips.

"U-Um, we all kinda had a few drinks and... Did it."

"We all?! Who's the other one that did him?!"

"S-Saeko."

Just then, the blue-haired sword wielder exited out the girl's bathroom as her name was called, looking to Shizuka with a confused look. "Yes? Did you call me?"

Rika blinks, then slid to her knees with a sulking look. "I can't believe it..."

Saeko, more confused, walks over to Shizuka and Rika, then asks Shizuka, "Is this your friend you spoke about before?"

"Yes, this is Rika and..." Shizuka stares down at Rika. "Just, yeah, this is Rika Minami, my roommate."

Rika stood up, looks to Tucker's direction, then stomps towards him.

Tucker began telling a story about when he was captured on his second week in the company to the interested Marines. "... And so, one Freelancer kicks in a window as he ziplines in there and shot all hostiles with just one round each, square in their faces. Hella yeah, all six of 'em! The guy didn't even miss a single shot. But all I saw was a pair of dim red glowing eyesights glide across the room with dim muzzle flashes and bodies dropping. And when they shot out the lights and cut me loose, that dude pulled this bowie knife from his hip and rushed to the door as it opened. Dude, when that door closed behind the guy, all I heard was bodies dropping, yelling for backup, and gunfire. And that Freelancer came back with two bullets lodged in his mask! I couldn't believe it, man. And their training... Hell, that's it. Hell."

"Damn, where do I sign up", the bearded Marine asks jokingly.

"Go talk to the commander about that", Tucker replies. "But don't say 'Yo, this guy told me about your company, I wanna join'. No, I don't wanna be thrown in the Rotting Ho-..."

Rika grabs Tucker by the back of his vest and drags him away from the group.

"Oh shit, he's gettin' pussy", a Marine yells out.

"Get it on, Alpha", a masked mercenary shouts.

The Marines began to cheer with Oorah's and whistling and applause. Even the mercenaries stood up and points at Rika and Tucker, shouting out tips and jokes. Then, things got serious when they all seen Rika pull Tucker into a room followed by Saeko and Shizuka.

"Damn, someone get a motherfuckin' camera", a mercenary shouts out. "We gotta record this shit."

"Nah, nah, nah", a Marine protests, standing up and motioning his hands to everyone like pushing them back. "Leave 'em alone, the dude needs a good fuck."

"Oh yeah", a Marine replies. "What about us, brother?"

"Hey, hey", a mercenary calls out. "I think we should can it for now. We're not forcing nobody into pounding some pussy, now."

As the Marines and mercenaries of Alpha Providence began ranting and insulting each other jokingly, Rika locks the door and faces Tucker, Shizuka, and Saeko. The room they were in seems to be some waiting room with assorted chairs, couches, and a counter.

"Is something the matter", Saeko asks Rika, her arms crossed as she stood closer to Tucker.

"You hear those guys out there", Rika asks the three. "That is the matter. That, and I just can't believe the kid did a threesome with a high school girl and twenty-seven year old nurse!"

Tucker sighs, covering his eyes with his gloved hands. "Is that what's up? You're gonna scold us?"

"No", was Rika's simple answer as she steps towards Tucker and grabs his cheeks, slamming her lips against his. Shizuka and Saeko, extremely shocked, was frozen in place. They just watch as Rika's tongue became visible between Tucker's lips. Even Tucker's eyes were of shock. Once Rika finally pulls back, a string of saliva was visibly connected between their lips. "I'm a stressed woman sexually deprived for weeks. And curious about a foursome." Then, she went back at it, stronger. Tucker's back was pressed against the wall as the two went kiss after kiss. Saeko, finally having a grip on herself, drops her sheathed sword and goes to Rika, ripping Rika off of Tucker. Though, as Rika faces Saeko for a 'What, jealous' kind of question, Rika's and Saeko's lips had met in the process.

Shizuka watches, more so surprised as Rika and Saeko froze like that for more than three seconds.

"Oh, this'll be good", Rika murmurs with seduction in her tone, her arms wrapped around Saeko's neck as her eyes pierces into Saeko's. "Hey, Shizuka. Get in here so we can make the man feel good."

Pact drew his last outline on the window with a dry erase marker, then steps back to look at the marked layout on the window over the landscape and the tall tower. "Ladies and gentlemen, listen up!" Everyone looks to Pact's direction as he taps on his TWC-3 wrist computer, then looks to the window again as it lit up with holographic images. "According to the SAT, we cannot drop a bomb in this area. Meaning, no air support as AGMs; we gotta respect it even when I don't know it. Now, Raiders, listen to this." Pact steps to the window again, dragging his finger from the bottom of the window near the floor up to where the base of Tokyo Skytree met in his view. "Your Marines will have to be stationary at the base of Skytree. When your MSOB arrives, we need you guys to come with the Freelancers. But, you will have to clear out the _entire_ building. Now, 101st didn't drop in earlier. Right now, they are two mikes out from dropping in this general area with a Freelance squad. We don't have to worry about them because they'll be aiming for the roofs and anywhere else that doesn't show up as a hotspot from our sats in orbit. And when they arrive and I brief the officers, that is when we move out. The SAT's job is to show us the way and guide us to out destination. Now, when my guys with 101st hands us the package..." Pact enlarges an image near the distant horizon beside a mountain. "... and we set it, the SAT guys will be punching in their aerial sequence code as a coordinate for our sats to launch a _precise_ data transfer." A holographic image of digital numbers traces along a marker-drawn arrow from the top edge of the window down to the tip of the arrow, which points at the tip of the Skytree tower. "Once that happens, we bug out. Now, the gunfire will be drawing in every Zulu in the goddamn highly populated city. So by the time we finish our main objective, we have to book it, fellas. All Ospreys are occupied with the evacuation of civvies in many parts of the world. Seriously, all we fucking got..." Pact went to the clean part of the window right by the distant tower, enlarging an image of their vehicle convoy. "... Are these. And this is not enough to guarantee everyone's lives. The route we'll be taking... We are not yet sure. These fuckers can pop up anywhere, but when the time comes, I'll see which area is the least concentrated area of Zulus." Pact turns to face everyone with a sigh. "Guys, it's fucking nearing 1800. It's been a long day, but... Fuck it, when 101st arrive and I brief 'em, we'll settle in and sleep it off. The garage holding our vehicles has been sealed off completely, but we'll have 101st stationed there in place of your Marines and my mercs to watch the place since they've been stationed all this time, moving people around and stuff. I got a backup generator stashed in one of our MRAPs, which my guys are currently..." The lights and air had flickered on, then operates perfectly. "... Well, not currently, but just set it up. So the Army won't be scared of the dark, at the least."

Everyone chuckles a bit.

"Sir, what about the Zulus over night", a Raider asks. "Won't they crowd around the garage and exits?"

"No", Pact simply answers. "The SDF said no missiles. Didn't say anything about strafing runs, so in other words, Zulus will be drawn away from us if we call in frequent strafing runs anywhere but a mile radius of this building."

"If that's the case, then is it possible we use that support for tomorrow's op", another Raider asks.

"We will. But everything is limited. By the time we set the cure, all air support will be gone."

Everyone exchanges looks, then gave each other a shrug.

The captain of the MSOT went to Pact and gave him a firm handshake. "Alright, thanks for the brief. Eat some chow, grab some sleep... Get ready for tomorrow, right?"

"That's right, bud, take all you can get."

As they break away from the handshake, the Raider gave his MSOT the dismissal, then they all left out. Now all was left was Pact and three Freelance squads in the office room.

"What's the percent of survival", a masked individual asks openly, his figure large and beefcake material.

"Roughly fifty-four percent individually", Tesla answers. "And twenty-seven percent as a whole."

Everyone in the room lets out a curse but Pact. Pact looks to the large man with an unreadable expression under his mask quietly for a while. "Tank, don't doubt yourself. Remember, a percent is better than none."

Meanwhile, Rika was bent over the counter with her hands supporting her weight as she held onto the edge of the counter, sweating and gasping as her body rocks to and fro. Behind her, Tucker thrusts his hips against her ass, each thrust forcing a moan to escape her lips with the effect of his hardened, hot erection meeting her deepest, sensitive parts of her womanhood. Shizuka and Saeko were both making out in front of Tucker as he made work with Rika. Shizuka grinds her sensitive, hot womanhood against Tucker's moving thigh as Saeko guided Tucker's hand to play with her wet womanhood.

"I'm next, Tucker-kun", Saeko moans to Tucker as she parts from the kiss, her eyes looking innocently needy to Tucker as she pleaded.

"No, I'm going next", Shizuka protests, grinding more against Tucker.

"P-Please, keep pounding me l-longer", Rika moans out aloud.

_Goddamnit this is hot but so confusing_, Tucker thought to himself as he kept at it with Rika a little longer before leading the girls to the couch. "You know I'll get every one of you, I'm not going to leave anyone out, I swear to you girls."

Another meanwhile, Takashi and his group were still in that break room, all finding their sleeping spot and curled up with one another like one big family. Takashi, like everyone else, lies silently and stares up at the ceiling. The Marines from before were nice enough to hand them a set of pillows and blankets. Even with electricity shut back on, they felt a little more back at civilization. The thought of Shizuka's and Saeko's appearance didn't cross their minds. In a place like this, they didn't care at the moment. They were safe, once again. But for how long?

As the other SAT members lounge around with the Marines and mercenaries, soldiers dressed in ACUs walks through the halls with a rolling crate centered in the group. Behind them were followed masked mercenaries dressed like Freelancers.

"That must be the cure", a Marine mutters to an SAT guy.

"Yo, Army guys, good to see ya here", a mercenary shouts from within the hall. "More badasses are great."

Though, the sight of a team of Green Berets and Rangers changes the laughing attitude of mercenaries and Marines.

"Shit, we got the elite of the elite here", mutters a Marine.

Then, in came a group of DEVGRU operatives with GPNVG-18s follows suit. The halls became quiet. But as they pass a room of moaning and groaning and thudding, the group slowed down their walking as they try to listen in, then continues on awkwardly.

"Fuck, they got damn Seal Team 6 in here", a mercenary whispers to a Marine. "You guys knew about this shit?"

"Hell nah, brother", the Marine replies back.

"Shit, we're in for a crazy ride", a Marine blurts as the team of elite went up another floor of the tall business building.

Pact stares at a small zen garden at the opposite side of the main desk, then turns to face the door with everyone else as a Freelance squad enters with the DEVGRU team of six, a six-man team of Green Berets, four Army officers of 101st, and a fourteen-man team of Rangers rolling in a package.

"Here's the cure, Pact, sir", a Freelancer that just came in says to Pact.

Seeing that these guys came in, all the Freelancers that were already in the office had left out, leaving Pact alone with the newcomers.

"Great", Pact says, looking to the group of DEVGRU, Rangers, and Green Berets. "I didn't expect other Spec Ops part of this op, just another Freelance squad and the officers. But oh well, here's the plan..."

"... So since you guys just showed up, that's the little change", Pact says. "Always great to have some sniper support. But you don't dig in until the Green Berets and 1st MSOT of their MSOB clears out the building. And to have a more secured exit, the rest of 1st MSOB will be with the Marines and Rangers around ground level perimeter of Tokyo Skytree. Copy all?"

"Hooyah, big man", the lead man of the DEVRGU team replies.

"Hooah", all Rangers, Green Berets, and 101st officers then says afterward.

"Alright, 101st will be in the garage watching our vehicles", Pact says to the officers. "Get a platoon or two down there, a company-sized force minimum, to take watch down there. The doors and exits are sealed off securely, but have them watch down there just in case. Never know."

"Copy that", a 101st officer replies.

"Alright, questions? Dismissed." Pact didn't even give them a chance to ask questions.

So, everyone left Pact alone in the room. But a DEVGRU operator.

"Pact, right", the DEVGRU operator asks.

"That's what you can call me."

"Alright, so I've thought over the plan. Do you think we are _that_ suicidal? Plus, having to take the kids? I'm sorry, but I might just stand down from this op. Or break ROE and call in motherfuckers to drop bombs in the AO."

"Nope, that's a negative. You _are _going to take action in this op. If not, then how will the percent of success and survival go up? You leave, we fail. And if we fail, this side of the world still goes on in shit. The scientist was declared dead an hour ago, said he was shot point-blank. This means no more cure. Hear that shit? It is of great importance you participate, otherwise..."

"Stop there, Pact", the DEVGRU operator interrupts. "If that's the case, then hell, sorry about all that I've said. We'll stay in."

"Great, thanks brother", Pact says with thanks, taking the operator in a welcoming hug. "Go rest up."

...

_So, um... That happened. Tucker got in there... Again. Anyway, as suggested (which I thought would be alright) that four-way is going be a one time deal for them. Anyway, next chapter will lead to the juice of the action and the one after that is going to be the juice. Then after that... Prepare your crying tissues. Not saying anymore. Hope you enjoyed, drop down your reviews, and see ya next time. SC: Blacklist coming soon. Continuation of the second installment of Jormungand/Black Lagoon coming soon. Monster Musume coming soon. Alpha Providence coming soon. Jeez, that's a lot_

_-TheRedMerc_


	10. The Warrior's Cries

_Finally back! I will try to update at least every weekend. School caught up and the district is fucking up my free time. So, to shorten my talk time and get you reading hunger guys and gals to work, please enjoy..._

...

It was a fresh, early start the next morning. After Tucker and the girls were fixating their clothing pieces and getting ready, Takashi and his group were waiting by the break room, telling the Marine that was trying to move them to the garage to wait. Finally, as Shizuka, Saeko, and Tucker had came into view, everyone hurries to the lower levels then soon the garage, which was packed with soldiers and vehicles. Though, the arrangement was all different. The mercenaries were set to be in the front of the convoy with the special operations forces and 101st Airborne unit set in the center while the Marines were to bring up the rear of the convoy.

Pact and his squad were to be the very first vehicle, by in order by the DEVGRU team, 1st MSOB of MARSOC Marine Raiders, Green Berets, the SAT squad, the other Freelance squads, and the team of Army Rangers. Everyone else falls behind that group.

"Everyone, listen up", the deep, low toned voice of Pact shouts aloud in the garage, catching everyone's attention immediately. "As you know, this operation will not guarantee everyone's lives. In fact, we are expecting roughly a third of you to make it out. Maybe even less."

Everyone had the look of concern and discomfort at the sudden statement.

"But, hear this now! You Marines, you special operatives, you Army troops, you soldiers! My precious Alpha Providence mercenaries! We are going to kick some major ass." Under his mask, Pact wore a cocky smirk as he looks around at the many staring faces and masked mercenaries. "If I'm going to die, I'm going to die with a full, raging heart. I'm going to die completing this mission and saving the damn planet. I'm going to die...!" Once he raises his voice, he pauses as he pounds his fist against the center of his chest. "... Taking... These undead motherfuckers back down to their graves! And drag 'em off back to hell with me! Each and every one of you are now considered expendable. But to me, as you are under _my_ command, you are considered warriors. Cold blooded, war hungry, bullet spraying, loud screaming, war crying warriors! As you Marines fight off those undead fucks at the perimeter of Tokyo Skytree with 101st, the special operatives and SAT will be clearing out the building. My mercenaries, your TWC-3 will display whether you'll be helping out the Devil Dogs or clearing the building with your commander. That is your brief. Simple and sweet. No CAS, no AGMs, no MEDEVAC, it is just us. We are on our own. And you know what that means?"

Silence. Silence fills the garage at the rhetorical question.

"That just means we got the all-you-can-kill buffet at the frontlines all to ourselves. OOYAH?!"

All together, everyone raises their rifles and scream out their war cries.

"Ooyah", screams the mercenaries.

"Hooyah", screams DEVGRU.

"Hooah", screams the Rangers, Green Berets, and 101st Airborne troops.

"Oorah", all screams the Marines.

"Let's get some", Pact yells out as he jumps down from his dark MRAP and goes into the driver's seat.

Everyone cheers as they scurry off to their vehicles, Tucker leading Takashi and his group to the troop carrier vehicle before leaving off to his MATV with the bearded Marine from before and his fireteam, the remaining troops all piling into their reserved vehicles.

As Pact's vehicle busts through the barricade of the exit of the garage, all other vehicles follows suit. Tucker rides behind the troop carrier, keeping his eyes on Takashi's group before keeping his eyes on the sides of the road. And damn... They were everywhere. Just as the large convoy passes the next block, there was a large horde of 'them' stumbling about aimlessly, now stumbling towards the road the convoy had taken. The gunners of the convoy began lighting them up as jets and helicopters zooms by overhead to provide quick but deadly strafing runs on the targets the radiomen calls on.

The radio in Tucker's MATV had been bombarded with incoming radio traffic, talking about which road to take, watch the flanks, calling out coords for their air support strafing runs, and warnings on 'them'. This was total chaos.

The vehicle ram through the walking corpses as the gunners lit up more of 'them' rapidly. Though, the sight of the horde of 'them' looked way too much. And to their disadvantage, they were drawing closer to Tokyo Skytree.

"Fuckin' shit, boy", the bearded Marine curses as the overwhelming sight of 'them'. "We're gonna have some damn fun, huh you dirty merc?"

Tucker smirks, speeding up a bit to close the gap between him and the troop carrier in front of him. "Oorah, brother."

"Hey, that's our war call, the _Marines_."

"Dude, I was a Marine before all this. Did I tell you that?"

"Three mikes out, prepare to circle around and form the perimeter", the radio calls out.

Soon, they did just that. And quickly, everyone dismounts from their vehicle and forms a tight perimeter around the tallest building in the city. As they did, the other special operations group hurries into the building and clears out the main lobby.

Tucker had gone to the troop carrier, handing Takashi, Tadashi, Rei, and Kohta an M16A3 rifle each. "Now, the rifle is easy to use. Kohta?"

Kohta stares at the rifle with excitement, pulling back the bolt and looking inside the chamber, seeing the 5.56 round loaded inside. "Huh? Yeah? What is it Tucker-senpai?"

"Teach the everyone how to use it." Tucker reaches for a duffel bag a marine dropped earlier and hands everyone else but Alice and Saeko an M1911A1 pistol. "And teach the others about the sidearm. The duffel bag holds spare mags for your weapons, so load up when you need to." As Kohta drools while holding his rifle out for everyone to see as a way to teach the parts, the safety, and how to fire, Tucker taps on his TWC-3 wrist computer and sighs. "Fuck, alright I've gotta clear the buildings. If things get hairy, fall back inside the building and look for _me_ or _Rika_. No one else, understand? Takashi, do you understand?"

Takashi nods, snapping out of it as he tries to learn and listen at the same time.

"Repeat what I said, briefly."

"U-Uh, if things don't go well here, look for you or Rika only."

"Good, see ya later." Tucker picks his HK416 rifle off from the ground and hurries into the building with the other mercenaries that were ordered to clear it out.

Once the lessons were over, everyone looks outside to see the soldiers yelling at each other, slowly pushing forward to cover more ground, and firing off their weapons. Up above, there was an AH-6 Little Bird helicopter firing off its miniguns at 'them' coming from the wide street as two other Little Birds flew around to cover the other wide streets. Everything was looking fine so far.

"Think we should help", Kohta asks Takashi as they watch the firefight. "I mean, if things are looking to become bad."

Takashi thought for a moment, then looks to Kohta. "Yeah. I mean, if they don't have all the firepower they can get, we'll get overrun."

Alice pulls Takashi's arm. "Sir, can I help with Zeke?" Zeke let's out a bark with a wag of his tail.

"No Alice, you say here and help us with the ammo, okay?"

Tadashi looks to Takashi then spoke up. "No, we should stay back and let the military do what they're doing."

"But, Dad", Rei protests, "if we let them and they get overwhelmed without support of even a few others, we'll get overrun quickly. Right now, they're buying time for the others to set the cure."

Saya agrees. "She's right. Looks like Tucker left the duffel bag behind with more weapons in there. If Kohta teaches us more about the other weapons and we help out, the guys in the building will have more time setting up the cure, even if just a little."

The parents of Rei and Takashi were surprised of the leadership and planning. Seeing this of the kids, they allow it with a nod of approval.

Mrs. Komuro reaches down to the duffel bag with the help of Kiriko, then drags it inside the troop carrier. And the contents were a beauty to Kohta. His eyes sparkle and his mind was boggled with all he can do with the assault rifles, grenades, marksman rifles, and other gear. He was set to teach everyone what they needed to know and get in with the troops.

Two DEVGRU operatives tackles one of 'them' to the ground as the third curb stomps it hard on their skull. Pact walks in front of the SAT squads as an escort with his R5 RGP suppressed rifle held across his chest. To the sides, Green Berets and mercenaries were crouched as they walk with their rifles trained down the corridor with the Marine Raiders watching the rear in case. To their right was a windowed area overlooking the city and to their left were doors to rooms and other halls. Each time they passed a door, a fire team of mercenaries or Green Berets were break down the door and clear it out. Despite all the blood everywhere, the interior looked kind of nice.

Tucker was bringing up the rear with Kolveshka and her squad, their eyes peeled in case any of 'them' were following.

"We'll be setting up a sniper team in this room", a DEVGRU operator calls out as he and his partner goes into a room some Green Berets had just called out. "Team Two, dig in six doors back." With that order, two other DEVGRU operatives hurries back down the corridor. "Good luck, Alpha."

Pact nods to the DEVGRU operative as he sets up. "Alright, where's that package?"

Four Green Berets operatives double times it to the front to Pact, all rolling the large plastic crate with one arm as they held their rifles with their other. "Right here, Pact", a Green Beret replies.

Pact looks down at the dark crate, then stops. "Rika."

The purple-haired woman hurries to the front beside Pact, then replies with, "Yeah, what do you need?"

"You know the aerial sequence code, right?"

"Copy that, big man."

"Great, you'll be staying here with Freelance 0-2 and squad 4-8. Freelance 0-1 and 0-4, you'll stay on me. Green Berets, keep dragging the package. And Tucker, you'll be temporarily moved to 0-4, so keep up. Move."

Everyone did as told, Tucker with a sigh. As he passes by Rika, she gave him a wink with a sly grin which nearly made Tucker trip over his own feet.

Soon, Tucker held one of 'them' against the wall with his MKII knife dug beneath its chin as the others fires off suppressed rounds at a large group of 'them'. The numbers of 'them' was enough to completely take up the entire corridor they had just opened the doors to, which caught everyone by surprise.

"Shit, forgot Sonar pulse images don't work on these fuckers", shouts Vixen.

Diablo laughs aloud as he reloads quickly in under two seconds and continues his precise burst fire. "Oh yeah? Get your panties outta your huge ass and shut it for now!"

As the Marine Raiders pushes forward just a bit, the Green Berets were close to falling back but maintained their ground, not wanting to look like pussies in front of the mercenaries and Raiders.

"What's wrong, wanna piss your pants", Archer shouts to the Green Berets, half jokingly.

Fox grabs a flashbang from her waist and tosses it into the crowd of 'them'. Once it went off, 'they' drew their attention to the noise and flashing lights for just a second until Pact unloads more rounds on them.

"Freelance 0-4, get up here", Pact commands.

Kolveshka pulls Tucker away from the still corpse and moves him to the front in a crouched position. As they provide the extra fire support, the numbers of 'them' began to decrease rapidly. That is, until a door right beside Tucker breaks through with half a dozen more. One tackles Tucker to the ground as the others reaches for Fox and Reaper. Now, the Green Berets pulls the package back a bit with them to steer clear of 'them', which allowed the Marine Raiders to take their place in the offensive.

"Son of a bitch", Tucker yells through his clenched teeth, holding the zombie by their jaw to keep its teeth from digging into his neck.

Reaper smacks the buttstock of his M4A1 rifle against his zombie's skull as Fox jabs the suppressor of her MK14 EBR into the eye of another. Quickly, they shot the other two point blank in their face as Tucker snaps the neck of the one trying to chew out his flesh before quickly standing up. Once he ran out of ammo for his HK416, he drops the rifle and charges into the small crowd of 'them' ahead in the corridor, punching one across its rotten cheek and digging his blade into the throat of another. After ripping his blade out of its victim's throat, he drew a P226 pistol from the holster on his lower back and fires quick successive shots to three more of 'them' at nearly a point blank range.

Pact and the Freelancers watches Tucker go at it as the Green Berets and Marine Raiders tries to find an opening to help out.

"Is the kid going to be alright", the captain of 1st MSOT asks Pact.

Though, Tucker had it all. As he breathes heavily, Pact goes behind Tucker and shoves his HK416 in Tucker's chest with a fresh magazine. "Yeah, the kid will be fine", he says to the captain as he brushes past Tucker, followed by the others. "Now let's keep moving."

Meanwhile, the Marines were gaining ground as they push forward little by little. Takashi and Kohta took an opening between the bearded Marine and 101st soldier in a crouched position. Takashi was a bit surprised at how accurate the M16A3 rifle was at semi auto firing mode. Kohta, on the other hand, enjoy every shot he made. The surrounding, loud, heart thumping gunfire rivets the two teenage boys even more. Rei and Saeko were the ones near the front lines, close combat as they usually were. Though, to not get into the line of fire, Saeko uses the given P229 pistol Tucker had given her a while back at the toy store. Tadashi, leaning forward against the hood of a Humvee for support of his injured arm, fires away with everyone else. The ladies, though, stood by with Alice and Zeke for any support they could give if needed.

Then, something bad had just happened.

An AH-6 Little Bird suddenly spun out of control with the pilot jumping out, landing hard on the roof of an MATV. That Little Bird helo spun and whirs to the left, hitting the tail rotor of another unsuspecting Little Bird. Both crashes atop a group of Marines and mercenaries at the other side of their building they're defending.

"Oh shit", the bearded Marine curses as he witnessed the crash. In that crash, soldiers and mercenaries were hurrying away from the aflamed aerial vehicles, trying to escape the roaring flames and explosion. Though, most of the people around the crash site had caught on fire or was blown by the explosion. The third Little Bird zooms over to the crash site, providing cover on the road that was now open for any of 'them' to come through easily.

"Yo, Travis", a Marine shouts to the bearded Marine by Takashi. "We gotta get over there and cover that area!"

"If we leave this place, then this area will get exposed", Travis shouts back.

"They've got it here, brother."

With hesitation, Travis hurries after the Marine towards the crash site. Takashi taps on Kohta's shoulder and motions him to follow. As they run to the rest of the group, Takashi says, "Alright, Miyamoto-san and Saya, we need you two to cover this area. Kohta, Rei, and I will move to the crash site to help out."

"Alright, sure", Kiriko replies, motioning Saya to follow.

Takashi waves for Rei, hoping she would see him. Luckily, as she caught sight of him, she hurries towards him and asks, "What is it, Takashi-kun?"

"We're going to help around the crash site, that place is too open."

"Alright, then let's go."

The three high school riflemen hurries towards the crash site where a crowd of Marines, mercenaries, and Rangers drags the wounded out of the area. And to their messed up luck, the horde of 'them' had come way too close to the building. 'They' had passed the buildings that met the end of the wide road 'they' were coming from, and drawing closer. So, without another thought, Takashi raises his rifle and fires off the shots with Kohta and Rei. Though, it seems that the more of 'them' they hit, the more of 'them' arrives.

"God, there is no end to 'them'", Rei shouts, her eyes in fear.

"Just keep shooting, we'll push 'them' back, Rei", Takashi says to Rei, trying to bring up her morale.

Up ahead, Kohta caught sight of Travis, the bearded Marine, gaining ground with several other Marines and Rangers. They seem to work quick when it comes to killing. Though, the dreadful happened. To their sides in a looted shop, about a dozen or so more of 'them' breaks through the windows and took down two Rangers, immediately sinking their teeth into their necks. Travis jumps back, shooting off his M4A1 rifle at the zombies that tackled the Rangers, but was caught behind him by three of 'them', who chomps down on his shoulder, arm, and side. Travis shouts aloud, bringing the attention of his fellow Marines. They hurry to Travis and rips him away from the grasp of the undead creatures, hurrying him away. It did not help. One of the Marines was bitten on his calf by a crawling zombie as the other was pulled into the crowd. Travis, seeing this, pushes away the Marine that was dragging him. They exchange shouting for a while, then soon that Marine hurries back towards the building and left Travis alone. He left him alone to pull the pins of a few grenades in his pouches and blow himself up as the crowd of 'them' surrounds him. That explosion took out at least a dozen of 'them'.

"This is not looking good", Kohta mutters, watching the horrid sight of 'them' closing in.

"No, don't say that", Takashi shouts to Kohta.

And to their prayer, the AH-6 Little Bird from before hovers overhead after mowing down a road for some Army soldiers and mercenaries. The next thing that Little Bird did is tear down the closing in undead hostiles with its miniguns and rockets.

"What", Rei questions, watching the rockets rain down on 'them' up ahead. "I thought that guy said no missiles?"

"I don't know, either Rei", Takashi replies, pushing forward with the soldiers as he unloads on 'them' ahead. "Just focus on us."

"Yeah, you heard me", Pact shouts into his built in mic. "Fuck ROE! Rain down on those motherfuckers with everything you've got!" As Pact finished chewing out the surviving Little Bird pilot, he walks out from his cover and fires off several bursts to the large number of 'them'. "Dammit, there's no end to these fuckers!"

The Green Berets were engaging more of 'them' at their rear with the help of Marine Raiders as Freelance 0-1 and 0-4 engages 'them' up front.

"Pact, bad news", the captain of the Marine Raiders shouts over his unsuppressed gunfire after talking with his radioman. "1st MSOB is engaging hostiles the city over! They're being pulled out, but because of the casualties, they're headed back to sea!"

"Fuckin' hell", Pact curses aloud out of frustration. "Fuck 'em, just keep pushing forward!"

Tucker unpins a grenade from his vest and tosses it into the crowd of 'them' up ahead. As it had gone off, the floors rocks a little and the glassed windows shatters.

"Alright, all clear up front", Diablo announces.

"Raiders and Berets, I need you guys to push back and retrieve the SAT squads", Pact commands, going over to the Green Berets. "We've got the package."

Reaper, Archer, and Geist went to help Pact with the package.

"Copy that, be safe up there", the Raider captain calls out.

"No, _you_ be fucking safe on your way back."

Rika leans against the wall, taking a drag from her cigarette before putting it out and tossing it aside as a Marine Raider came by.

"Hey, all SAT and squads 0-2 and 4-8 need to haul ass to the top of the tower", the Raider captain announces.

As the DEVGRU sniper team in another room fires round after round, Rika motions her squad to follow her behind the 0-2 Freelance squad, Marine Raiders, and Green Berets as mercenary squad 4-8 brings up the rear up past the motionless corpses through the halls towards the very top of the tall building.

Pact sets the crate up, dialing in codes and commands as the other Freelancers watches the fight below, and the haze of 'them' piling towards the building.

"Fucking hell", Diablo mutters. "They've got Zulus nearly breaking the defensive line..."

Tucker had an uneasy feeling in his chest, but shook it off as the Raiders and Green Berets appear at the rooftop with the SAT and Alpha Providence mercenary squads.

"Rika, over here", Pact calls out.

And to his command, Rika walks to the plastic crate where a dial pad and screen was, kneeling down and punching in a few codes. As she did, everyone exchanges glances, some with hidden grins and others with visible looks of excitement.

"Alright, digital traffic is coming in...", Rika announces, still dialing in codes.

Tucker was drumming his fingers along the handguard of his rifle out of nervousness. Then, suddenly, a pressurized gas sounds from the plastic crate and out came yellowish gas, flowing out into the air high above. Everyone was purely excited, all cheering and giving each other victory hugs.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen", Pact yells over the cheering. "We're not done yet. We need to book it outta here. Raiders, SAT, and Berets, go get the DEVGRU and haul ass down to the convoy. Alpha, we're jumping."

Takashi and his group were the only ones covering a street, watching yet another airborne soldier getting mauled and eaten alive by a crowd of 'them' up ahead. They were pushed back to their vehicles. The Little Bird helicopter had run out of fuel, so it had to retreat out of the area, leaving the ground troops by themselves.

"Fuck, they're getting too close", Takashi shouts as he reloads another mag into his M16 rifle.

Kohta grunts and grimaces at the overpowering sight of 'them', then looks to the rest of his group members and their parents. "We've gotta leave."

"But what about the cure?"

Kohta looks up into the sky, seeing colored gas fill the air up above. "They've already set it! We have to leave!"

"No, not without Rika", Shizuka shouts from the troop carrier.

"And not Tucker, either", Rei adds.

Saya lets out a sigh. "We have to leave. These guys are professionals, we can..." She was cut off as one of 'them' grabs her leg from beneath the troop carrier and pulls her to the ground. As he skirt flips from the fall and breasts pressed against the ground, Saeko hurries over and points her P229 pistol to the rotting skull and fires a shot. "See what I mean?! It's time for us to go!"

Saeko grimaces, thinking over the situation. "Everyone, get inside the vehicle! Marikawa-sensei, get ready to drive out of here!"

Hesitantly, everyone did as commanded. The Marines, mercenaries, and Army troops began falling back to their vehicles suddenly and took up their .50s as a way to fire. Though, they all were stationary.

"Why are they getting into the vehicles now", Tadashi asks. "And why aren't they moving?"

Kiriko looks to the building's entrance, seeing a group of soldiers hurrying out the building and mounting different vehicles. From above, the mercenaries were falling down from the top of the building without a sign of a parachute, but as they looked as though they were to meet their fate from hitting the ground, they landed without a sign of injury. As if it was not that high of a ump

"Go, mount up so we can get the fuck outta here", a mercenary shouts.

"They're closing up all our exits", a Marine shouts from his vehicle.

"Just go, go", a special forces operator yells aloud in the radio traffic.

Rei caught sight of a masked mercenary pulling a purple-haired woman towards their vehicle. Saeko, seeing this, was relieved as she figured who they were.

"Lucky bastard", Takashi says with a grin.

Alice hugged her stuffed donkey as she smiled with relief. The entire time, she was kept in the carrier.

Mrs. Komuro held her chest in relief, as Kohta shouts for them, "Hurry up!"

Tucker throws Rika into the troop carrier, followed by a duffel bag. Finally, he gets in with heavy breaths.

"Had to hurry my ass up to get my precious items", Tucker said with a chuckle, though out of breath.

Saeko hugs Tucker hard as Rika giggles. The convoy sped towards a filled street of 'them', ramming through the corpses.

"Fuck, we're not out of this yet", Tucker curses. "Keep Alice and the parents far back to the porthole between the troop carrier and driver's seat." He then raises his HK416 as the convoy slowed down, having a hard time having to plow through so many of 'them'. Gunfire erupts from every vehicle, shouting and screaming filling in the pauses of gunfire. Tucker unloads round after round at whatever tries to climb into their vehicle, with the help of a Humvee's gunner behind them.

"Shit, there's no end to them", Takashi curses, helping Tucker with Kohta's volunteer.

One of 'them' reaches for Takashi quickly, so Tucker pushes Takashi back and unloads on the fast-moving zombie. "Get your head in the game, Takashi", Tucker yells to Takashi.

"Tucker, look out", Kohta shouts to Tucker as he reloads. As Tucker turns to the exit of the troop carrier, a single zombie jumps onto his leg and chomps down on the flesh. Without the gunner's attention, Tucker kicks the thing off of his leg and fires a shot from his P226 to that corpse.

"Fucking hell", Tucker screams, holding his leg. Though, he quickly focuses back to 'them', firing off shots to whatever tries to come into their vehicle.

Overhead, Apaches fires down Hydra missiles to the streets behind the convoy, rocking the last few vehicles.

"Fuck, that was danger close", Kohta shouts out, ducking his head with everyone else.

Tucker laughs out loud, holding his pistol up in the air at the danger close air support. The shockwave of the explosives made him feel exhilarated, pushing away the thought of his bite. That was until Shizuka noticed the bite mark on the leg of his combat cargo pants.

"Tucker, you're bitten", she exclaims over the gunfire.

Takashi and everyone else shot a glance over to Tucker, who stares down at his leg through his mask.

"Oh yeah, I guess you're right about that", Tucker simply says, then curses under his breath to himself.

The convoy was smoothly sailing through the streets, each gunner lighting 'them' up all around and Apache helos providing the best air support they can.


	11. The Road Home

_Short chapter, I know. But whatevs. I got school and blah blah blah. After I finish this up (ONE MORE CHAPTER), then I'll move on to Best of All Worlds and the White Album 2. Hope you'll enjoy (I think it's kinda crappy) and see you next week._

...

Tucker gripped his leg as he pulls himself back. The rest of the ride was a bit smoother without any difficulty. Saeko, Rei, and Shizuka were inspecting his wound with worry as Takashi and Kohta held Alice back, ready to put Tucker down if necessary. The parents were talking Takagi into moving out of their way to just get rid of Tucker for everyone's safety.

"He's bitten, he's done his job", Tadashi says to Saya impatiently. "We should boot him off before he turns."

"He won't turn so soon", Saya protests. "If we boot him off then his superiors may boot us off. We can't just treat the commander's soldiers like however we'd like back then, before this man went through hell for us."

Takashi sighs as his mind scurries through decisions, now hearing his mom trying to calm Tadashi with Kiriko.

"Okay, everyone stop!" Takashi finally exclaims aloud, seeing that everyone stares at their leader to await what he would say. Even the parents. "We keep him on board. If he shows any sign of turning, I'll deal with it myself before we make it to our destination. Everyone, give him room."

At the command, the girls slowly back away from Tucker as he bandaged up his leg quickly to stop the bleeding. He cursed under his breath then looked at all the staring faces. Some were of worry, some of fear, and one of prejudice. That was Rei's father. Zeke alone stares at Tucker as he wags his tail, then jumps in his lap before licking his mask. Suddenly, the convoy stopped and the sounds of doors opening and closing sounds outside.

"What's going on", Shizuka asks.

"We're establishing a temporary base in order to get a ride in the area for pickup", Tucker answers for the unknown looks on Takashi's group's faces. "Basically, we're getting ready to get the fuck out of here."

Everyone piles outside, seeing the Marines motioning the group inside a large business building. Nearby, there were sounds of explosion.

"What was that", Rei asks a Marine.

"Blockading the area to make sure no other freaks show up", he answers with a smirk. "Anyway, you're free? We can treat each other tonight to some comfort after all this shit we've been through. Looks like you need it."

Tucker limped past the Marine, bumping his shoulder against the Marine's.

"Hey, what the fuck?!"

Tucker turned to the young Marine, smiling under his mask as he held his P226 pistol up to his face. "Get moving, Marine."

As the Marine backs off while hiding his shaking fear, Saeko crossed her arms with an impressed look placed over her worried expression. Takashi held his arm around Rei's shoulder as he led his parents and the rest of the group inside the building. Tucker sighs as he holstered his sidearm back into his lower back.

Saeko gripped Tucker's shirt and kissed where his mouth would be under his mask, then hugged him tightly as Shizuka stares at Tucker with a saddened and worried look. Rei looked over her shoulder at Tucker quickly before soldiers crowds in her view to set things up.

"What are you going to do", Saeko asks Tucker, not minding the fact of her separation with the group.

Tucker grabbed her shoulders, looking down at her as he sighed. "I gotta go-..."

Tucker was cut off as Pact and Diablo pulled him from the affectionate display of Saeko's grasp and Shizuka's worrisome glance. Shizuka and Saeko were being held back by Fox, Vixen, and Reaper even as they call out for Tucker and try to brush past the Alpha Freelancer's body blockade.

"Hey, wait", Shizuka called out, but was soon pushed towards the building with Saeko.

"Shut it, you'll be heading out of here soon", Fox says to the nurse and blue haired sword-wielding high schooler. "Take it easy, don't worry about him."

They protest on and on about getting through, but that only caused more Marines and 101st troops to help calm the situation. Meanwhile, Tucker was seated in the back of an MATV with his mask at his side. His expression was expressionless as he stared at the ground, not wanting to say a word efore they put them down. He saw a Freelancer, Archer, reaching into a large box inside the MATV behind him from over his shoulder, pulling out what seems to be a pistol. Pact stood in front of him with his arms crossed, staring down at Tucker without a word. Tucker stares down at the ground, closing his eyes slowly as he awaited for the 'cure' to the infectious bite.

He felt Archer coming behind him.

He heard the sound of a click, then another, and a metallic slide.

Tucker cringed as he felt a cold piece of metal against the side of his neck.

"Relax", Archer says in a softened tone to Tucker.

Then, something like pressurized gas being released came from the pistol. Tucker kept his eyes closed as he trembles a little bit. Then, he slowly opened his eyes as he felt small needles pierce through the skin on the side of his neck. As he opened his eyes, he saw Kolveshka standing beside Pact with Diablo, Tank, and Bravo. What the hell was going on?

...

Takashi looks around the room. It wasn't a business building. No, instead it was a western five-star hotel. He and his mother took this room as everyone else went for the others. The room was rather large with two king-sized beds, a couch, a fried TV, large bathroom, a kitchen area, and a lounging room. The hotel room seemed more like a condo.

"Wow, this place is nice", Mrs. Komuro says, going to the bed before dropping herself onto the plush mattress. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah, sure is", Takashi agrees with awe. He sat on his own bed, looking to the floor as he thought about everyone else. Alice, Zeke, Kohta, and Saya had gotten a room to themselves as Rei and her parents had their own room. He was not sure if Shizuka and Saeko had their room. Either way, they were yet again in a safe zone full of highly trained professional killers. Things will be okay once more. Things will be better once they leave out the area.

Mrs. Komuro sat behind Takashi on his bed, wrapping her arms around him in a close hug. "We're finally safe now, Takashi... We'll leave soon and be surrounded from more protection. Guaranteed protection."

"But what about Dad? Do you think he'll be where we're going?"

Mrs. Komuro sighed, resting her cheek on his shoulder. "Like I've said, I'd hope so. I'd love it if he would be there, waiting for us."

"And what about Tucker? Is he going with us?"

"I... Don't worry about him. He's infected. He can't be saved."

"But they set up the cure. He'll be fine, right?" Takashi asked with clenched fists. He was infuriated that he couldn't help the one that helped him and his group. Numerous times. "He has to be fine. He has to be okay. As long as they don't know-..."

A knock was heard at their door, then it creaked open with Rei's head shown in the cracked. "Hey, do you mind if we join in?"

"We", Mrs. Komuro questions.

As Rei fully opened the door, her parents were in view with everyone else but Saeko and Shizuka. Tadashi still had on his sling but Saya's bandage was removed from her head. Supposedly, she was fine.

"We wasn't feeling right sleeping without everyone", Rei says with a shrug and smile. "And we couldn't get the sight of blood out of our minds in our room."

"Wait, so where's Saeko and Marikawa-sensei", Kohta questions, looking amongst the group.

Takashi sat up from his mother's grip, then went beside the door. "Everyone come in. I'll head downstairs and see if they're down there with Tucker."

Tadashi sighs as Takashi mentioned Tucker, then they all enter. Alice clutched her stuffed donkey beneath her chin as she went to Takashi's bed, laying down and automatically going to sleep right beside Mrs. Komuro. Rei and Kiriko went to the kitchen, surprised at the amount of food stored in the freezer. Luckily, they were all still in their thawing phase.

Tadashi and Kohta was in the lounging area with Saya. Mrs. Komuro watches Alice sleep with a soft smile, brushing her hair from her face just as Zeke curls up in front of Alice. She felt a sense of pride build up inside her. A pride that was burning towards her son. She never knew such a trouble maker like Takashi was able to bring the group close, alive, and moving.

Takashi brushes past the Marines, Army soldiers, MARSOC Marines, and Rangers as he made his way to the lower floors. He came closer to a ruckus. Then, in the main lobby, he found a group of soldiers surrounding Shizuka and the unarmed Saeko. They were harassing them, threatening them, saying things that they'd thing would draw sexual attention from the two females. Though, all they got was scorn and fear.

Takashi clenched his face, then shouted aloud, "HEY", as he hurries towards the group.

Suddenly, an uproar and warning shots were heard at the entrance. The sudden disturbance had silenced everyone, bringing their attention to the entrance. There were Alpha Providence mercenaries standing there with their rifles trained at the crowded soldiers. The masks of Geist and Snegurochka was among the group of mercenaries.

"Silence and listen", a loud, deep voice shouts loud enough for anyone in the lobby and the next rooms over to hear. "We do not tolerate sexual harassment! Alpha Providence DAMN SURE does NOT tolerate rape! If you are so caught making another attempt as this, we will open fire and sever ties with absolutely every non-Alpha Providence mercenary. DO YOU ALL UNDERTSAND?!" Silence. "Good. Now carry on, our ride out of here arrives in an hour."

As the mercenaries disperse, all other soldiers sigh, mutter curses, and left off to their own business. Takashi went to the two girls, taking their hands and moving them away from the area. "Come on, we're getting out of here."

Though, after a few steps, both girls stop.

"What's the matter", Takashi asks as he turns to the two girls. "Do you really want to stay here any longer?"

"They took Tucker", Saeko says quietly.

"What?"

"They took Tucker." She said it a bit more louder with teary eyes. Shizuka didn't want to speak.

Takashi's mind was processing the words, then he clenched his teeth. "Come on, we're going upstairs with everyone else."

Finally, the two girls follow behind Takashi upstairs in silence.

...

Tucker was lying on the floor of the MATV, held down by Bravo, Kolveshka, Diablo, and Tank as Archer applied shots after shots along Tucker's arms, legs, neck, and chest. Tucker tried to kick and flail his arms in attempt to get away from the strap-down. His body was so tensed and his veins felt as though they were going to explode. He was also gagged so he wouldn't scream out to cause attention from absolutely anyone. Pact watched silently from outside the rear of the MATV, his arms crossed.

Finally, after minutes of excruciating painful shots, Tucker lies there as he passed out from the pain.

"Sir, Phase One is done", Archer reports to Pact. "Once we head to home base, we'll have him undergo Phase Two to becoming a true Freelancer."

"Good", Pact replies, still staring at Tucker. "Let him rest up for now."

As Archer left with everyone else, Pact sighed as he rubbed his bite mark on his shoulder. He had gotten it a few days before as an attempt to prevent an Alpha mercenary from blowing herself up.

"Who would've known that our augmentations were a cure..."

...

As night was dawning over, everyone was packing up. Takashi and his group were eating in his room.

"So, kids, what should we do after this", Tadashi asks, trying to break the eerie silence.

Then, suddenly, gunshots sounded off outside.

Takashi and Kohta sprang up, grabs their weapons and headed out into the hall as they heard rummaging and hurrying movement. DEVGRU operatives were rushing through the hall as the gunfire grew fierce outside.

"This is Team 1, we're heading to the hot zone, out", a DEVGRU team leader says into his mic.

_Hot zone_, Takashi thought to himself in question.

"Sounds like more of 'them' got through their blockade", Kohta says in a monotone voice. "We're under attack."

"What? Should we go help?"

"Hey, what's going on", Kiriko asks the two boys.

"This place is getting raided", Saya answers aloud as she looked out the window. She saw muzzle flashes down below. And they were all seemingly directed to each other. As if they were killing one another.

...

"Sir, we've been compromised", Kolveshka says to Pact, who sat beside the passed out Tucker. "There are infected inside the perimeter."

"Copy that, Kolveshka", Pact replies with a sigh. "Gather your squad and stick close. Use your FLIR to see who's infected and who's not. Kill all that shows no heat signs."

"Yes, sir."

Kolveshka and Bravo both left Pact and his squad alone with Tucker. The gunfire was erupting close by. And in Pact's mind, he knew it would draw intense, unwanted attention.

"Pact, let me out there", the voice of Tucker says behind Pact.

Pact didn't even turn to look, but he knew that Tucker was now standing, ready to hop out and get into action.

Archer, Reaper, and Diablo held looked to Pact to await how he would answer Tucker's permission. "Affirmative. I'll be evaluating you."

Then, like that, Tucker ran off ahead. Without a weapon.

...

"Fucking shit", a Marine yells, firing his M1911 to one of his battle buddies, hitting him in his chest. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" He turned to an Army airborne soldier, who stumbles towards him quickly as the poor Marine reloads. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

A DEVGRU operative shot the zombie through its temple, making it drop onto the marble floor of the lobby.

"Shit, thank you", the Marine says to the SEALs, out of breath.

Neither of the three SEALs responded. Instead, they kept a nice and tight formation of one in the middle aiming ahead, one at his side aiming diagonally across his back and the other watching the rear. As they made their way inside, brushing past the retreating Marines and 101st Army troops, they began firing at anything that moved at an irregular pattern. Their precision was so accurate. It was as though each three DEVGRU individual were mentally collected as one, taking out each infected that were just close enough.

Inside the main lobby, a Marine was leaning against the wall, breathing hard as everyone else was trying to get into the higher levels for their evac. That Marine fell to his knees and went limp against the wall. His fellow buddy held his shoulder, shaking him.

"Hey, brother, get up", the fellow Marine says to his partner. But as a response, he got a chunk of his flesh chewed off of his neck, making the surrounding soldiers jump back as they reach for their sidearms, shaking in fear. But, one was too late as the once fellow Marine jumped up at him, biting at his shoulder and throat as the other did nearly the same to a Ranger.

Outside, there were still soldiers fending off the undead of their friends and those that got through the barricade.

"Holy shit, there's too many of them", a MARSOC Marine soldier blurts as he fired off his M110 marksman rifle at the undead that pushed itself through the rubble of debris that was blown off a building, supposedly to be used as a barricade.

"No kidding there, brother", another MARSOC Marine replies over the gunfire of his MK48 LMG rifle, spraying down a small horde of 'them' at their rear. Some of which had civilian clothing and other had clothing similar to the MARSOC standard issue combat uniforms. "Fuck, they got some of us too!"

"Shit!"

As they fought and fought, they soon ran out of ammo. The two Marines steps back, back-to-back with their KABAR knives held up.

"Oorah", they both shout as the horde of undead reaches for them.

"We don't know where 1st MSOT are", Snegurochka says to Kolveshka. "We're putting them up as KIA along with Team 2 of DEVGRU forces."

"Got it", Kolveshka replies, holding up her AN-94 rifle across her chest. Her squad, including herself, were staying behind a Humvee right by the entrance to the lobby of the hotel. "Now, where's Tucker..."

"He's in the midst of the horde",Tesla answers. "Unarmed."

Tucker drop kicks one of 'them' with a running charge, thinking it would just fall on its ass. But instead, it went back a couple feet with the feel of its rib cage cracking inwards. Tucker quickly got to his feet, bring a hard left hook to the jaw of another undead, snapping off its jaw and giving a uppercut to another. Feeling the wind from behind, Tucker spun around, slamming his elbow into the nose of a recently turned DEVGRU soldier, bashing in its slowly rotting skull.

"Holy shit", Tucker says, breathing hard out of adrenaline.

Finally, he picked up an M4A1 carbine rifle and went to the entrance of the hotel, firing single-shot rounds to any of 'them' that he passed, whether or not 'their' attention was on him or not. Once he made it inside, he found the lobby being a total mess of scattered flesh, bones, corpses, and bullet casings covered in blood. Then, it dawned on him.

"Oh shit..." Tucker hurriedly ran to the stairs, hoping he would make it to Takashi's group on time.

...

Pact tapped on his wrist computer and sighed before speaking. "My Alpha Providence mercenaries. It's a slaughter here in Tokyo. We have been compromised, we lost a great amount of our forces, and our ride is late." He was standing atop the same MATV with his squad, squatting down with a pistol held in hand. "Our barricades didn't hold up. Due to that, it has led this. Now here this." Archer loaded his M40A1 sniper rifle, looking down below from the roof of the vehicle. "Back home, we lost family and friends. And now here, we are losing brothers and sisters. These brothers and sisters will not be coming home. My Alpha mercenaries are being slaughtered because of my poor decision." Diablo loaded in a mag in each of his Glock 40s, glancing down at the massive horde that were reaching up at them, several of which wearing hardened masks and dark combat attire. "This sudden turn of events dramatically brought down our survival rates. But... We will not use this as an excuse to keep fighting. We will fight until each bone in our bodies are broken and each flesh from our skin are torn off." Fox and Vixen pops a flare each, holding it up as it lit up the area. It was like a sea of reaching arms. "We will make it to the top of the hotel and get the hell out of here. All DEVGRU, Rangers, Green Berets, Marines, and 101st are pronounced KIA. Two squads of Alpha Providence are gone, and MARSOC soldiers MIA. But. In their honor and name, we will fight. We will tell their sons and daughters the stories of their bravery. We will tell their husbands and wives their valor service and duty. We will keep fighting. And we will keep remembering." Tank held up his M60 LMG, loading back the bolt as Reaper slammed his fist into his palm. "Let's wash ourselves in our enemies blood. And let's bring home the memories of the fallen and save the cries of needing calling. Ooyah."

Pact voice was monotone. He closed his eyes as he stood, his wrist computer still held at his mouth. Then...

"OOYAH!"

Fox and Vixen tossed up the flares into the crowd as Reaper threw a gas canister to each flare, fires a shot into the canister, then all ducked but Pact as the two explosions went off. Then, they all charge into the crowd.

...

Takashi held the door with Kohta and Tadashi, Kiriko shoving a book case underneath the door handle and Saeko shoving the fridge directly in front of the door with the help of Saya, Mrs. Komuro, and Shizuka.

"Oh my, that was heavy", Shizuka says, rubbing her arms.

"Now what do we do", Rei asks, stepping back after grabbing her Springfield M1A1 rifle with its fixed bayonet.

Takashi first considered using the window, but not at this height. Wait... Takashi looked at the ceiling then pumped back his M1014 shotgun starter pump and fired into the ceiling. He shuts his eyes and looks away as dust and debris fell all around. "Everyone, climb through here and make it to the roof of the hotel, now! Their evacuation helicopter should be here any minute!"


	12. Alpha Forever

_The crying tissues. THE CRYING TISSUES! I am so so so stoked that you guys made it this far. Won't put out spoilers. This is the largest chapter I have ever come to thusfar, and most importantly the most critical. This ending went out with a bang. It may seem like I half-assed it here and there, but I didn't. It's just that I looked back on it and kinda felt... A little less self confident in myself... Anyway! I hope you enjoy this little... Er, big chapter. Here. You. Go. Enjoy_

...

As Kohta helps Alice and Zeke up through the hole in the floor from above their original room, Takashi kicks out the door and searched the hallway. It was clear.

"Which way do we go", Rei asks Takashi. "We don't know if the staircase is crowded with more of 'them', so I think we should consider more about our escape."

"And what about the military", Kiriko asks, holding up her spear as she stayed behind Takashi. "Do you think we should search for help from the experts?"

Saya had thought about the possibilities then answered the questions for Takashi. "We have no choice but to take the staircase. But if things go from bad to worse, we'll have to use the elevator shaft to climb up. I'd doubt we run into the military if we're going up, unless these guys are all wusses or either serious pros. And I doubt these guys can take out so many in so little time. Right now, we are officially on our own."

Saeko tightened her grip around the handle of her sheathed katana but then thought it over. This was no time to mope. Now is the time to fight and assure her group's safety.

"She's right", Takashi says, looking to everyone as the hallway was declared clear of any of 'them'. "We have to watch out for each other from this point forward. We can't afford to think about saving anyone else. Remember, it is either the military or us. And I think that we've been through enough of hell to say the military."

"That's our leader", Kohta blurts sheepishly, then went out the room with everyone else.

As the group heads down the halls to the staircase, they can clearly hear the gunfire that went on throughout the hotel and outside. Though, the order was to not think about them. Now is the time to focus on their very own survival. And that burned into everyone's minds as they slowly, and cautiously climbed up the messy, trashed staircase.

"Hey, what do we tell the guys in the helicopter", Tadashi asks. "Won't they think something fishy went on if only we showed up?"

Takashi, nor anybody else, had even thought about it. So, as they stopped, they thought. Without military personnel, would their pickup be much more difficult to achieve?

"When the time comes, we'll get through it", Shizuka answers aloud. "Right now, we should really get going. I can hear the gunshots getting closer..." She had a look of fear in her eyes as she looked up at Takashi.

With a sigh, Takashi nodded in agreement then led his group forward. It wasn't even soon after that they found themselves blocked by a crashed news helicopter in the staircase, preventing them from going any further. "Looks like the elevator shaft is the only thing we got now...", Takashi announces with a curse.

...

"Team 1 is out", a team leader of DEVGRU announces to his three comrades. "It's just us."

"What's it looking like, big man", another DEVGRU operative asks.

The DEVGRU team were hiding out in a supply closet, the terror hiding on the other side of the door.

"We have to head up top. Evac is ETA 10 mikes."

"Copy that."

The team leader went to the door, slowly creaking it open before peeking in the hall. It was a bloody mess with corpses and weapons and equipment scattered all around.

"Take it slow and quiet." As all four crept out the closet and into the hall, they kept a tight formation with their weapons drawn ahead and one man keeping an eye at their rear. As they pass each open door, a man would make a quick peek inside before moving forward.

Outside, Pact bashes the slide of his empty sidearm into the softened skull of one of 'them' as they slowly made their way past the horde and towards the hotel.

"Freelance 0-4 up ahead", Reaper shouts as he opened unsuppressed fire at their rear.

Snegurochka kicked a zombie down to the concrete floor before stomping her heavy boot down on it's face. Geist dug his KA-BAR knife into the eye socket of another behind her as he tackled it to the ground, and Tesla and Bravo going back to back with their AK-47s popping off round after round into the others that surrounded them.

Kolveshka was using her Khukri machete to cut down any of 'them' that had gotten danger close to their formation, which they held in front of an MRAP.

"Snegurochka, cover the rear", Kolveshka screamed in Russian as she held back three of 'them' with her blade as 'they' try to push her back against the hood of the MRAP.

Snegurochka dropped her Makarov pistol and picked up the PKP LMG she dropped earlier, turning around to their blind spot and mows down the incoming crowd.

As Pact and his squad dealt with their problems, they manage to push towards Kolveshka's squad, aiding her as they tossed grenades into the middle of the horde and pulled the three of zombies that nearly pinned Kolveshka down.

"We have to push inside and head up top", Pact says calmly to Kolveshka. "And I'm making it your job to find Tucker in that building."

"Copy that, Pact", Kolveshka replied, nearly out of breath. "0-4, fall back into the hotel!"

Kolveshka's squad hurried into the building behind Pact's squad. Pact stayed behind for a little longer, peering over the crowd of 'them' before walking backwards and dropped two explosive chips at the entrance before he went inside.

"So that's it, huh", Pact muttered to himself as the two large explosions sounded off, shattering the glass and supporting pillars around the entrance doors, the walls collapsing and blocking off the main entrance.

"Oh, sir", Fox called out, tossing a 12 inch sawback bowie knife to Pact. "You almost left this behind."

Pact caught the unsheathed blade by the handle in a reverse hold, nodding to Fox in thanks. "Everyone we push-"

He stopped himself as he looked over the gruesome scene in the main lobby. There was blood splattered about, bullet casings scattered all over the floor, corpses lying here and there, and... Everything was just a mess. Though, the main thing that caught his eye was the corpses of his precious mercenaries. Some were torn apart and some were riddled with bullet holes with bite marks here and there.

"Sir", Archer says to Pact, "we need to keep going before we get caught up again."

Pact sighed to himself in response to Archer. "We push the fuck forward and murder each and every of these undead fucks, do you hear me?" He faced his squad and Kolveshka's squad. "Every undead we see, we light them up and save whatever survivors we can, Ooyah?"

"Ooyah", they all say in response, unsure of their commander's mentality. Though, they obey as they press on towards the main stairs.

...

Tucker slammed his elbow into the face of a zombie behind him as he drops an empty clip of an M1911 he picked up, then quickly reloads in and pulls back the slide then fired a shot into the face of another in front of him. He twirls the pistol around his finger with the trigger guard until the barrel of the pistol faced the undead corpse he elbowed, firing two shots into it's face.

"Shit, where the fuck are they", Tucker mutters the question to himself as he walked forward. As he passed a elevator door, he stopped himself as he heard the cables snap, followed by a feminine shriek. "What the hell?" He looked up and down the hall he was in to make sure of 'them' weren't around. Seeing it was clear, he pried open the door with his own hands.

Once the doors swung open, he peers up, seeing a pink-haired high schooler danging from the broken elevator cable. His eyes were fixed beneath her skirt, causing him to chuckle to himself. "What a view!"

The teenagers looked down below, seeing the masked mercenary looking up at them a few floors down.

"Tucker" Shizuka shouts down, which made everyone tell her to shush.

Tucker chuckles softly to himself then looked around the shaft. "Can you get Saya?"

"We can't reach her", Takashi replied. "We tried to climb to the roof using the elevator shaft because the emergency staircase was blocked off."

Tucker sighed, then aimed his arm with the TWC-14 aimed up at a small ladder beside Saya, which shot out a cable from the wrist computer and grappled onto the ladder, which reeled him upwards to it. After dropping his pistol, he grabbed onto the ladder then grabbed Saya by her waist, pulling her to him and onto the ladder.

"H-Hey, watch it you idiot", Saya blurted at Tucker above her. "I could've fucking died!"

"Oh shut up, you", Tucker replied as he rolled his eyes under his mask. "The rest of you, I can't throw the girl over to you. It's too big of a risk that she'll fall. I want the rest of you to meet us..." He looked up, seeing the rest of the cables in good condition at floor 14. "Meet us at floor 14."

"Got it", Takashi answers back. "Don't you two die!"

For a brief glimpse, Tucker could see the relieved look on Saeko's face, which made him smile to himself a bit. "Roger that, leader."

As Takashi and his group left, Tucker looked down at Saya. "Ready to move?"

"Yeah, just move your ass so we can get going already, dumbass", Saya replied with a cheeky attitude.

...

Pact stopped everyone with his fist held up, signalling everyone to stop. The reason why is because he heard a loud shattering noise, from the elevator shaft. Pact motioned his hand forward twice again, bringing the two squads to walk ahead. Then, they heard a shout up ahead in a room, followed by a gunshot.

Pact and his squad went up ahead as Kolveshka's squad followed behind, taking their place beside the doors for safeguard.

As Pact raised his second pistol up at the DEVGRU operative holding his M4A1 at a fellow undead comrade, he trembled as he couldn't fire. Until Tank lit up the undead DEVGRU operative as Jade went to the sole survivor of the DEVGRU squad, grabbed him by his shoulder and gave his a hard slap across his face.

"Listen up, soldier", the female mercenary says to the DEVGRU operative. "They are fucking dead. Accept reality and move on. We're hurt too, but we have to keep pushing until the end. Once we get to the end, we can grieve for our brothers and sisters then. Right now, pull yourself together and follow us."

"Contact!"

Pact looked over his shoulder after seeing the motivating scene, then stepped out the room and saw at least a dozen of 'them' coming towards them as a response to the gunshots. "Mow 'em down!"

As Kolveshka's squad opened fire upon the small horde, Pact went to the DEVGRU operative and picked him up as he wiped away his tears. "You're clean? Good, now let's get moving."

...

Rika kicked back a zombie and shot it point blank in the face before looking back to her SAT team. Some were bit, and some were contemplating whether or not they should put the bitten out of their misery.

"Listen up guys", Rika starts, sighing as she scratched her head with a troubled look on her face. "We can't let these guys suffer and turn into those things. We have to put them out of it before they have to see themselves turn into... Whatever the hell those things are. I don't like it either, but it's for the best."

The ones that weren't bitten all looked at the friends with a look of sadness.

"She's right", one man says with a tone of sorrow. "We have to do it..."

One by one, each man points a pistol at their turning friend's head, looking away as they cringed and cried before firing a shot into their skulls.

The scene was horrifying. Rika couldn't look any longer, so she turned away and looks down the empty, bloody hall. Out of 20 floors, they were only on floor 13. Just 7 more and they were home free. Then, the thought of Tucker came across her mind... It was soon interrupted as she seen a group of teenagers with their parents rushing into view in the hall. "Hey, kids!"

The teenagers and their parents stopped, almost all of them armed.

"Where's Tucker", Rika asked. Then she remembered something else. "And are you missing one more?"

Takashi quickly caught his breath from the hurrying to the next floor as he nodded. "Yeah, they're both in the elevator shaft heading to the 14th floor. We're going there to help them out."

"How the hell..." Rika didn't bother to ask. Instead, she looked at her hurt comrades then announced, "Everyone, we're going up top. Our ride out will arrive any minute. The rest of you look after each other's backs while I help the kids out. Move!"

As the SAT wipes their faces and slowly recollect themselves, Rika followed the teenagers as they went off to the next set of main stairs. "How did they get in the elevator shaft?"

Rei shook her head, not wanting to really explain it.

"Long story", Kiriko answers bluntly and broadly.

As they reached the floor, they stood frozen as they had witnessed two squads of six black-combat dressed mercenaries going hand to hand with a small group of 'them'. A pair of mercenaries both tackled an undead through a door into a room, sounds of flesh and bones being crushed afterwards from the inside. Another kicked an undead into the open elevator doors, making it plummet below to its death. As the others had finished them off with pure teamwork in the large corridor, Tucker had just thrown Saya up and into the hall with the mercenaries, who all pointed their sidearms at her immediately, though relaxed once they realized she was human.

"Touch me like that again, I'm kicking your ass down", Saya shouted back as she got up, looking around. At first, she was nervous being around a dozen of masked mercenaries, but then relaxed as she went to Takashi's group at the end of the hall. "Looks like all of you are in one piece."

"Yeah, same to you", Takashi replied with a chuckle, though was more worried about Tucker. "Is he coming-..."

Tucker, being the opposite side of the elevator doors on the ladder, embraced himself as he jumped through the doors without a problem, giving a firm handshake to the two male mercenaries that had helped him. "Thanks, brother", he replied to each of them."

"... up?" Takashi had just finished off his question with a shake of his head, finding himself a bit funny for being even a little worried for the guy. "Okay, we have to get going, we can't stick with these guys any longer", he said amongst the group, who all replied with a hesitant nod.

In fact, they all weren't too sure. After seeing such a skill of hand-to-hand, they had just realized how good these masked, mysterious mercenaries were.

"Hey, Tucker", a mercenary called out from a room, "we hauled your gear up here." She tossed a duffel bag over to Tucker, who caught it with both hands and looked inside, seeing his previous squad member's masks and dog tags inside, along with their weapons and gear.

Tucker smiled softly with a wave of relief, then slung it onto his back. "Thanks, sis", he said with a brief warmth in his tone. "Okay, now, listen up, Alpha!" Tucker felt in charge. It was sort of new, since all Alpha Providence mercenaries were trained to be professional leaders, but not like this. In this situation. "We head up top and wait for no one. We pick up anybody else on the way, we are not going back. If our ride isn't up top, we hold it off and wait. Ooyah?"

"Ooyah!"

As the mercenaries move out, Tucker stayed behind with Takashi and his group. "Okay guys, let's get moving."

Rika was a bit worried of her team, but agreed overall and followed the group of teens and parents.

...

Pact thrusts his machete into the skull of an undead, then kicks it off of his blade and into the stumbling crowd of 'them' that had caught up. There was so many. As they hurry up the stairs, along with three MSOT members and a team of four DEVGRU SEALs, they would periodically open a barrage of gunfire, though it only drew more and more in to flood the building.

"Fuck, our ride better be there", a MARSOC operative shouted, his face covered in blood along with his uniform.

Archer tossed a grenade below the stairs as they all charge up top. Once the explosive was set of, Geist, Reaper, and Vixen opens fire to keep them back for Bravo, who fell behind the others due to a trip.

"We're almost there, shut it and push", Kolveshka shouted to the Marine Special Op soldier from behind Fox.

Pact cursed under his breath, a bit worried about their ride's time of arrive. And despite his mercenaries wearing masks, he can tell that even Snegurochka was a bit worried. The coldest Russian woman in her squad.

"Help! Help me!"

The cries of a female brought them to a halt as they reached a new floor. It sounded as though it came from the floor below them.

"Please, I'm an SAT operative! I got hit with a ricocheted bullet! Help me, my god, please!"

As the mercenaries and special operations soldiers look up at Pact, their main overall leader, they awaited for a command to save whoever was below.

"We press forward", Pact said simply. "We go down, we risk everyone else's lives."

Everyone felt a sense of coldness radiate from him, a sense of... Negativity.

"Sorry, but you have two choices", Pact shouted below, trying to sum it up before the horde of 'them' caught up again. "Kill yourself and get chewed up alive! It's an honor to have you a part of this operation, an honor to have you under my command!"

And after that, he motioned everyone to move forward. Most were hesitant to press on. Bravo uttered a curse as he shook his head and slapped his mask a couple times to focus.

"No! No, please help me! Don't leave me!"

With a loud curse, even Kolveshka and Reaper cringed at the decision. But, nonetheless, they did as ordered.

After some time, they kick in the door to the roof then poured outside. It was raining. They were greeted with over a dozen and a half mercenaries, SAT operatives, and Marines, excluding Takashi's group that hid behind the soldiers. Yet, there was no ride home. Not yet.

"Weapons down", a mercenary called out.

"No, keep them up", Pact shouted back, he and his group hurrying along the line that face the entrance to the roof.

Everyone looks to each other in confusion, but then focused their weapons back to the opened door once Pact and his squad, with the MSOT Marines and DEVGRU SEALs that crouched in front. They waited and waited.

Finally, a single stumbling living corpse came through the doors, slowly stepping towards the firing line. The rain had picked up, the large pouring rain raining down onto the soldiers and teenagers and their parents, washing away their blood from their masks, faces, clothes, and weapons. Then, Pact sent one shot straight between it's eyes.

Minutes pass, all still holding the firing line.

"Is that it", a Marine called out.

And just as he spoke, 'they' all started pouring out. Everyone's eyes widen at such a number of 'them', some dressed in similar combat attire and some in civilian clothing.

A loud of barrage of gunfire opened up on the large horde of 'them', some of the soldiers and mercenaries cringing as they thought about shooting their friends and siblings.

Tucker kept Takashi back with his group as he looked upon the firing line and their line of fire. He smirked under his mask, then looked at Takashi. "Keep your group here and do not move!" He moved them back more beside a set of roof-mounted generators. "Keep your eyes to the sky and your surroundings; watch for our bird!"

As Tucker left, everyone looked to Kohta as to wonder what the terminology 'bird' meant.

"When he said bird, he meant a helicopter", Kohta answered, keeping his eyes on the firing line. Oh how he wanted to join in...

Pact reloaded a SCAR-L rifle, cursing aloud as he slammed the butt of his rifle against the face of an undead, crushing in it's rotting skull. As it fell back, he realized the uniform was Alpha Providence, and the mask held in the corpse's hand.

Tucker dug through the duffel bag, finding the M16 with the M203 attachment, this rifle once belonging to his squad member, a friend. Her name was Patterson. As he lit 'them' up with a quick succession of three round burst gunfire, he added in a shot of the grenade launcher, which flew over 'there' heads and into the door, exploding behind the horde of 'them'. Yet, that did not stop 'them'.

With gunfire to his right and his left, Tucker felt a sense of adrenaline rush over him. He loved it. "Sorry, Patterson..." He muttered, looking down at the rifle before reloading it. "... Hope you don't mind me using this."

As the line of fire were lighting up the endless horde of 'them' pouring onto the roof, Alice looked up at the raining sky as Shizuka covered her eyes. Even Saeko and Tadashi noticed it. They saw a pair of lights speeding towards them in a familiar pattern. It was an Osprey helicopter.

"They're here", Tadashi shouted, trying to get the attention of the soldiers over their gunfire.

"Hey, they're here", Rei joined in, trying to get up from her seating position against Takashi. "Can you hear us?!"

A Marine looked over his shoulder as he was reloading, looking to the group of high schoolers and their parents, then to the dark, raining night sky. He saw the lights of the Osprey with a flow of relief. "Everyone, ride is here!"

Pact reloaded his SCAR-L rifle again, then looked over his shoulder briefly. "Bush dog it to the LZ! At the near-edge of the roof!" He tossed the rifle at Tucker, who had just put the empty M16 into the duffel bag. "Take your friend's rifle and use it like he wants you to."

Tucker took it, remembering his best friend, Heckler. This weapon use to be his. Use to be... He felt a wave of sadness and remorse overcome him briefly before he went back to raining down some heavy gunfire.

Slowly, all of the soldiers and mercenaries stepped back carefully as they still opened fire upon the horde of them. The Osprey whirled around with the cargo door opening up to the edge of the roof. A Marine turned around once they reached the near edge, jumping onto the open cargo doors. "Civilians, you're up first! Hurry the fuck up!"

Takashi gripped his M1014, then brought his group to the edge of the tall hotel building. He took Alice and Zeke first, carefully handing them to the Marine. The Marine grabbed Alice, who held Zeke, bringing her on board quickly.

A DEVGRU SEAL was grabbed by his leg by a crawling undead, then bit down on his leg. The SEAL cried out as he shot the biter, cursing over and over as he was so close to getting home. His fellow SEALs noticed this, but kept their lips shut as they kept firing and firing onto the horde of 'them'. The numbers were more overwhelming.

Pact turned around, seeing the process was slow for the civilians to board the Osprey. As the third person of Takashi's group was put on board, he took Kiriko and tossed her on board, followed by Saya then Rei. Takashi, seeing the sense of rush, jumped on board without help, followed by Kohta and Tadashi. Saeko hesitated just as Pact pushed Shizuka on board, looking back at Tucker who was at the front of the firing line, shouldering the SCAR-L as he popped round after round.

"Saeko, let's go", Takashi shouted.

Rika took Saeko's hand, smiling at her with assurance. "Let's go, we can get out of this hell finally."

Saeko blinked, then nodded as she jumped on board with Rika. Finally, Pact, along with Tesla, helped Mrs. Komuro on board, then looked to the firing line.

"Everyone, fall back", Pact shouted at the top of his lungs and over the loud barrage of gunfire. "Cease fire and bug out!"

Everyone quickly turned around, hurrying on board. Marine after Marine, SAT after SAT, Alpha after Alpha... A few kept their train of fire onto the horde to keep them back. Kolveshka had just jumped on board with Pact, looking to the last few.

"We've gotta go", the pilot shouted. "They're getting too close! Is that everyone?!"

"No, there's three more", Pact shouted.

"Tucker, get your ass on board, now", Kolveshka shouted. The shouting of his name brought the attention of Shizuka, Saeko, and Rika.

Tucker cursed, taking the hand of a SEAL and tossed him on board. "Time to get the fuck on!" He shouted. He grabbed the other SEAL by his shoulder, but he wouldn't move. "Come on, brother, we gotta fucking MOVE!"

The SEAL cringed with a twisted look of disgust on his face. He trembled as he quickly pointed the barrel of his rifle beneath his chin. Then, he fired before Tucker could do anything.

Tucker felt a wave of familiarity rush over him. Yes, Brecken did the same thing. In fact, the exact same thing once he found the bite mark on the SEALs leg. His fellow DEVGRU SEALs were screaming as they tried to hop back out and onto the roof, but Tucker ignored it all. He finally caught a grasp of the situation once he heard crying. Alice. She was hiding behind the roof-mounted generator, clutching onto the stuffed donkey given to her by Tucker. It was, in fact, his own he had when he was a kid. Though, he figured he'd give it to her to keep back at the toy store when they left.

"What", Rei shouted, confused.

Shizuko bolted up from her seat, wondering how in the world Alice got out of their view. How she even got off the helicopter. Though, it was concluded Alice had went back for the stuffed donkey. That didn't matter now, they had to get her back.

"Tucker, let her go and-..." Pact shouted at Tucker, but was silenced as Tucker ignored the order and charged for the crying girl. "Tucker!"

Tucker fired his SCAR-L rifle into the crowd, then tossed his final grenade into the overwhelming horde. As it was set off, Tucker picked Alice up. "Hey there, sweetheart, almost left ya behind." He said calmly to her.

Alice was almost in more tears, gripping onto Tucker as she cried. "Gomen!" She cried out, holding the donkey to her chest with one of her arms.

Tucker smiled softly, then focused back at the situation. He cursed once he saw that 'they' were closing it.

"We have to pull off", the pilot shouted.

"Stay the fuck right where you are", Pact shouted over his shoulder.

Kolveshka drew her AN-94, sending out burst gunfire at 'them' to help out with Tucker's escape. Sengurochka gave a hard kick to another undead that tried to climb on board. They were getting close.

Saeko's eyes were watering, clearly differentiating her tears from the rain over her body. Shizuka covered her mouth as she was about to cry, Rei doing the same as the others watched in hope. Even Saya was about to cry from anticipation and worry.

"Tucker", Takashi shouted. "You better make it back here with Alice!"

At such a loud shout, Tucker smirked under his mask, putting the SCAR-L into the duffel bag on his back. With the brief augmentation drugs, this weight was just about nothing to him. He can make it.

As Tucker went full sprint, pushing and shoving his way through the stumbling undead, he tripped. He nearly rolled off the roof until he grabbed onto a set of large console wires and cables. He stood up, though was grabbed by one of 'them'. He was just a step away.

Pact grimaced under his mask, clutching his fists hard as he was in anticipation. Bravo uttered a curse as he tried to peer over Pact and Kolveshka and Snegurochka.

Though, as Tucker yanks himself out of its grasp, he threw Alice into Kolveshka's arms before he was yanked back by three of 'them' by his duffel bag. And he mouthed some words under that mask of his.

Nobody saw his final expression beneath his mask as he disappeared into the horde of 'them'. The Osprey pulls back as the cargo doors slowly closed. Pact, Kolveshka, Snegurochka, all of Alpha Providence, all of Takashi's group... Everyone had witnessed his final act, his final appearance just before he was pulled into the horde on that rooftop. And sadly enough, nobody knew his expression. Nobody heard his final words.

Saeko was on her knees, crying as Shizuka held Alice, both of which sharing each other's grieve. Takashi slammed the side of his fist against his lap hard as Rei clutched onto him, full of tears. Saya hid her face from everyone else, the adults looking down with a show of remorse. Even Rika had no emotional strength to say a word.

As the Osprey's doors came to a close, Pact took a seat by his squad and Kolveshka silently.

"You know, that kid was impressive", Kolveshka said to Pact in a low tone, breaking the silence aside from the crying and muttering of prayers from the religious soldiers. "He usually always puts himself before others. You know when he was first captured on his first week in here?"

"Yeah, what about it", Pact asked. "In the report, he was captured due to equipment malfunction."

Kolveshka shook her head. "He was captured because there was a little girl being pushed around by the primary target. He intervened, even though his squad members, Gabriel and Heckler. Saved the girl, got captured, then Geist went in and got him out."

Pact smirked, looking down as he felt slightly saddened. "Put it in the report next time."

The rest of the ride felt so long and sad. Everyone was overcome with sadness, losing their friends and siblings, their battle buddies and brotherhood. As the Osprey landed on a carrier chip off shore, the mercenaries climbed off first, standing at attention in their squads in front of Pact. The Marines, DEVGRU SEALs, and even SAT, including Rika, all fell into formation. At this point, Pact spoke in English to everyone. And yes, the SAT understood.

"Wanna know what we went in with? We went in with over one hundred and twenty-five of us. And yet, we came back in a hand full." Pact started his speech. His tone was softened. "We lost brothers. Sisters. Friends. Siblings. Even couples in this operation. Fathers and mothers. Their children with be parent-less. The deceased have proven us a valuable, unforgettable sense of valor."

Everyone felt their eyes water and tears streaking down their faces.

"We will not forget this night. We will not forget our loss. Not just of our comrades. But what we lost in here." Pact touched his heart. "This op had taken those that made us hole. We have lost so much tonight."

Takashi gripped his M1014 as he watched Pact, pacing slowly in front of the formation. Kohta looked down at Alice, who was sniffling softly as she gripped the stuffed donkey. Zeke curled up by Saya, who, as well, was crying silently to herself.

"I lost many, many fellow mercenaries. They were my family. I considered them as my children. My brothers and sisters. My everything. One, though. One death that we have all witnessed had touched my heart. Crane Tucker. He died saving another's life."

Saeko, once again, broke down as she fell to her knees and curled forward as tears fell. Shizuka stood beside her, then kneels down and held her to her chest.

"He gave his future for another's future."

On that rooftop of the large hotel were corpses. Corpses over corpses, not a single living thing on that corpse-filled rooftop.

"He thought, no only of us, but of the lives of any other. He lost his squad, his entire squad. And yet, he fought. He brought civilians home to safety with their parents."

Tadashi held his wife, Kiriko, with his good arm as he closed his eyes. Kiriko lets out a sniffle as she buried herself in his chest.

"He fought valiantly for the sake of these civvie's lives. He fought for ours. He fought for yours."

On that rooftop, aside from such a tremendous numbers of corpses filed over others, sat another against a generator. The corpse wore all black with an APCM mercenary mask in his lifeless hand. The corpse was limp. On the generator, behind his head, was a splatter of blood. A green, dirtied duffel bag in its lap with other APCMs and weapons. All were familiar.

"His squad, together, made a motto. In fact, his squad and... A squad of a woman that had fallen for him made this together..."

Their short, black, bloody hair was a sticky mess with blood and sweat, their eyes closed as he faced his lap. A balaclava was on their shoulder. In his other hand, on his side, held a bundle of dog tags. Patterson. Heckler. Brecken. Gabriel. Farley... And Tucker. The corpse had his own dog tag ripped from his neck and held in his gloved hand.

"... Providentiam Divinam in omnium. I asked him what this meant. And these were his exact words..."

Tucker, his lifeless corpse, sat up against the generator in the mess of corpses he had taken with him. In one hand, he held his squad member's dog tags. In the other, he held his mask. In his final moments of his dying memory, he held Takashi and his group. In his final moments of his dying heart, he held his girls he had fallen for.

"... 'You're the commander, you should know latin. But, without the direct translation, I'll give you this: it means protecting everyone and everything that is dear to you, no matter if you have to give whatever it is you have to give. Even if it means your life. And that is what my squad lives by. Ooyah.' Those were his exact, definite words. And his death reminded me of this. We all have that sense of protection in each and every one of us. I'm sorry you couldn't succeed with protecting your comrades... Dismissed." And now, Pact walked off.

At the order of dismissal, everyone in formation collapsed on their knees or on all fours, weeping and crying out. Takashi shuts his eyes as he looked down, holding onto Rei. Tadashi went in with the hug with Kiriko, creating a group hug. Alice, Kohta, and Saya soon joined in with Mrs. Komuro. Finally, Shizuka, Saeko, and Rika came into the large group hug with Zeke crawling in the middle at their feet. It became quite a weeping party.

...

Kolveshka landed atop a corpse with Snegurochka and Geist, Bravo and Tesla staying in the UH-60 Black Hawk.

"Keep your eyes peeled for any movement", Kolveshka warned in Russian. "FLIRs don't work on these fuckers, so be mindful."

As the three carefully treaded over the corpses, searching for something, the Black Hawk helicopter circles around with Tesla holding a pair of binoculars to the rooftop and Bravo keeping the scope of his M14 EBR aimed for any long distance support.

Kolveshka turned a corpse over, seeing it to be an Alpha Providence mercenary. With a sigh, she pats their mask and kept searching. Snegurochka groans as he kicks a body to turn over as Geist quietly treaded to a load corpse sitting upright against a generator.

"I think I've found him", Geist whispered into his mic. He then picked up the pace, stepping on the corpses and bullet casings until finally reaching Tucker's corpse. He frowned at the corpse of Tucker, glanced down at the dog tags, then his mask, then his lifeless facial expression. "Confirmation is KIA. No readings on his vital signs."

Kolveshka sighed through her mic then nodded as she went towards Geist. Once she reached him, she knelt down and took his mask gently, seeing that Tucker had sustained too many bites for him to live through. Either that, or the metal that stuck off of the genetrator that piercedthrough his back and out his stomach was too enough for him to live through. Either way, he is confirmed dead.

"You're going to take his mask back", Snegurochka asked from over Kolveshka's shoulder.

Kolveshka thought about it, then nodded. She puts the dog tags and his mask into the duffel bag he had carried to the very end, then slung it over her shoulder as she stood up. "Take his body, too. A Freelancer has to go out the Freelancer way. As for his mask and his secondary tag... I think the girls would like to have it as... A memento. Just take out the battery chip."

"Copy that, kapitan", Snegurochka replied, getting to work.

"And I guess this things is actually working", Kolveshka muttered to herself, peering over the edge at the motionless corpses below. She will also confirm that the antivirus had worked. As for the corpses on the rooftop... It seems as though it was more than the antivirus that killed them. She glanced at Tucker's lifeless corpse. She didn't notice it before, but she had just now caught the small curl of a smile at the very corner of his lips. Perhaps he was please he killed this many for the sake of what he believed in. Maybe.

...

Takashi was in his room of the ship, bunking with Kohta and Tadashi. The females were in the rooms to their right and their left, close by for anything they may need. He was lying in bed, staring at the bottom of the bunk above him. He turns over, now facing the hull (wall) as he thought. Above him, Kohta succumbed to sleep after thinking about his own stuff. Tadashi had also fallen asleep, probably his first slumber since the whole thing started.

Takashi now though again back on everything that happened. Tucker helped out a lot. Without him, they'd probably wouldn't have survived. They probably wouldn't be here by now. They probably wouldn't even have Alice alive, that's for sure. And the saddest part of Tucker's death to him, and possibly the whole group... They haven't thanked him for everything he had done.

Though, he was grateful for one thing. As Takashi laid on his back and faced the bunk above him again, grinning thinly to himself. Everyone is safe. His group survived because of Tucker. He can now live a normal life with everyone. He even decided that, for sure, he'll confess to Rei. Like what Tucker had wanted him to do with so many given signals. And he awarded himself that with a goodnight sleep.

Saeko was topside, watching helicopters come and go. She was wearing a black tanktop and dark jeans with her black boots, her sword at her hip. She stares ahead at the city, smoking with flames as helicopters left and entered past the shore. She felt a tear stroke down her cheek, which she quickly brushed away. She felt somebody watching her from behind, so she turned around, seeing a masked mercenary.

"What do you want", she questioned straightforward.

The mercenary held his hands behind his back. He sighed deeply, then stepped towards her. "I'm a friend of Tucker's, Connor. We met before with my squad." He pulled his hands from behind his back, looking down at Tucker's dark mask that stares back at him. "Um... We figured you should keep this. As, you know... Whatever it is that appeals you."

Saeko's eyes widens as she looked to the mask that was handed to her. She took it as she trembled. "H-How... Oh Tucker...!" She finally snatched it and hugged it to her chest, her knees feeling weak. She was now, once again, crying as she repeated his name.

Connor knelt down in front of her, laying the dog tag atop the mask that was being covered in her tears. "It's your's now, and, um... Shizuka's as well."

Pact was sitting in the bridge of the ship, looking over a hologram of a mapped out area. He crossed his arms as he looked down at a set of papers, then back at the hologram. "Now... We rebuild what this world has lost..."

...

_May add some other spin-offs here and there, I dunno. Hope you enjoyed, RIP Tucker...~_


	13. The Promise (Spinoff)

_I'm not done yet! Haha! Spinoff number one, here you go! Still accepting characters for my OC Gangsta story. Will work on The Wings of Freedom story at a later date, as well as Gangsta. Until then, here's some spinoffs in memory of Tucker and others. Message me what I should do next, and drop a review of what you think! Always appreciate the marvelous reviews!_

_In case you won't figure it out, this is right before Tucker comes in contact with Connor and his team, as well as Takashi's group. If you remember._

...

"H-Hey, what're you doing", Mrs. Komuro blurts aloud in fear behind Tucker's driver seat of the MRAP.

Tucker was speeding down the wide street, rumbling and rolling over the walking corpses in front of them. "Clearing the way for a route", Tucker replied with some laughter beneath his hardened ballistic mask. "Can't handle a bumpy ride back there, Komuro-sama?"

Mrs. Komuro scrambles to one of the seats in the back and straps herself in firmly, not saying a word as she was too shaken and frustrated by Tucker's head-on resolve to the situation.

After some time of running over the undead that crowded the streets, everything became more quiet and smooth. To Tucker, however, the silent ride was becoming awkward to him. So, to solve this personal issue, he found a secluded parking lot to an empty park. Turning off the engines to cause absolute silence to the outside world's danger, he unbuckled himself and steps outside.

"Come on outside for a breather", Tucker suggested, folding his arms across his chest and looking over the park for a bit. "Looks like you need it after all this."

Mrs. Komuro steps over the driver's and passenger's seat, as she couldn't figure out how to open the rear door, and stumbles out the driver's door. She shielded her eyes from the sudden sunlight, as the windows of the MRAP was murky with blood and darkened with whatever it went through over the years of its service.

"Don't be quiet now, you can talk if you'd like - the silence is getting a bit awkward for me."

Mr.s Komuro looks at the back of Tucker's masked head and then suddenly began to giggle lightly.

_What the hell_, Tucker thought to himself as he looked over his shoulder to the thirty-something year old woman. "What're you laughing at me for? It's embarrassing."

Mrs. Komuro covers her mouth, her eyes glistening with tears from her laughter and her brows furrowed with amusement, joy, and relief. "I didn't expect someone with your profession to act like a child."

_A child?_ Tucker's brow twitched, but his feelings of that statement changed as Komuro went on.

"Don't get me wrong, Tucker-san", she said as she settled herself. "You just seem more...humane after what you've did. From all that driving, I somewhat expected you to be more cold and straightforward and gung-ho, but... Ugh." She grins thinly to herself with a slight shake of her head. "I'm just relieved that you're not what I expected you to be."

Tucker then smiles gently under his ballistic mask, then turns to face her with his arms still folded across his chest. "I'm glad to meet your higher expectations. I'm an Alpha Providence mercenary - of course I'm like how I am. The good guys who do bad things to the bad guys. All for the sake of you."

Mrs. Komuro giggles lightly then held her palm to her cheek with her eyes closed in a flustered manner. "My, my, it's great to be saved by such a hero, then."

Tucker chuckles sheepishly then unstraps his mask to reveal himself to the woman, but just to scratch the back of his head. "Well, gosh, you got me there, Komuro-sama."

Silence fell over between them as they glance at one another, then they both share a light laughter.

"It's good to be around someone who lightens the mood despite everything that's going on", Mrs. Komuro said with a content sigh.

Tucker straps on his mask firmly then went into the driver's seat, keeping the door open. He fishes through a safe container between the driver's and passenger's chair below the gunner's port. Mrs. Komuro walks to Tucker's door with a curious look at what the mercenary was looking for. Then...

"This... Is for you", Tucker says with a grunt, pulling out a small ankle bracelet - it was a gold chain holding a pendant of a silver rose, the inside of the bud of the flower holding a small diamond. "Found this on one of my deployments. A mother gave this to my team as a gift for saving her child. When I get you to your kid, give it to him... Or... Keep it. Whatever you wanna do with it. Just, keep it close. I wanna at least pass this down to someone I saved, like that woman did that day."

Mrs. Komuro looks down at the anklet for a moment. Her son, Takashi Komuro, probably wouldn't hold it dear as what Tucker would want. _Only if he knew my son, Takashi_, is what Mrs. Komuro had thought. She finally looks up at the mask of the mercenary with a bright smile, holding onto the anklet dearly. "I will."

Tucker looks ahead to the playground as he leans his elbow pads against his kneepads. Bloody swing sets and see-saws. His eyes half lowered with slight sadness. "Poor kids..."

Mrs. Komuro looks to the playground as well, sighing a deep sigh with sad eyes. Then, she managed a thin, sad grin and looks up at Tucker. "But you'll make it all better, right? You'll save any child you see?"

Tucker smiles a toothy smile under his mask as he looks down at her, nodding slowly. "Damn straight." Then, he snaps his head up to the sky. A distant explosion sounded off in the distance. Followed by another. "Mortars...", Tucker mutters under his breath. Followed by the distant falling mortars was gunfire.

_Crack... Crack, crack, crack, crack... Crack, crack..._

The gunfire had continued to crack off in the distance, more rapid and violent. This causes Mrs. Komuro to draw in closely towards Tucker with a feared look. "W-What's that", she asked with concern, looking around for wherever the fight was.

Tucker was looking in a certain direction, past the playground. "It's support. We gotta head there, fast." Tucker said as he helps Mrs. Komuro up across his lap and towards the back. He shuts the door and started the engine, revs it up, and drove over a bloody broken swing set. _I'm coming, Connor. Damn sure better have those kids with ya._

...

Mrs. Komuro sat alone on the bunk in the ship, looking down at the anklet she was holding onto in hand. A tear fell, though she held a thin grin. "You held your promise, Tucker-san. Thank you for saving her..."

Takashi knocks on the open hatch before stepping into her room. "Okasa, you're alright?"

Mrs. Komuro wipes her tears before looking to Takashi with a hearty smile. "Yes, I'm fine. How is little Alice-chan doing?"


	14. Tucker's Recon Op (Spinoff)

"Tucker calling in for radio check, over", Tucker says in a slight mutter into his built in microphone of his communication systems from his ballistic mask.

"_Clarissa here, temporary TOC is hearing you loud and clear, sir_", the feminine voice in his earpiece says with a clear tone. "_Your position is marked, we got a bead on your vitals, and area is looking clear... Everything is looking alright, big man._"

"Roger that, notify me any updates of my AO, out", he said lastly, then he began to stand up as he was sitting inside a trashed car. Slinging his rifle across his chest, his beloved HK416 SOPMOD rifle, he started down the sidewalk like an evening stroll in the park back home, eyes wandering around from corpse to corpse and blood splatters and other pieces of bodily attachments and limbs scattered around. "All this shit in just 12 hours..."

Tucker was on a scouting operation, doing a damage assessment of the urban areas of the city prior to the evacuation, as a means of being accurately sure that the evacuation operation would go smoothly or not and how fast the undead would approach the evacuation site.

Tucker stopped and raised his rifle down a street as he saw flames spew up over a few buildings away, followed by the sound of an explosion. "The fuck was that?" He slowly lowers his rifle and started towards the source of the explosion.

"_Tucker, this is Clarissa_", Tucker's earpiece started, "_we're seeing a vehicle at wreck towards where you're headed. If you're going to the source of the wreck, don't bother - they're just walking corpses. Steer clear and continue down your route, out._"

"Yeah, yeah", Tucker said with a sigh, his eyes following the rising smoke up ahead. Then, he continued with his stroll of a walk, so far not encountering any of 'them'.

Some time later, Tucker took cover as he heard voices; an argument, between a couple of high school students. He was hidden behind the corner of a thrift shop as he listened in on the argument. "Argument over gas, huh?" He chuckles softly to himself, then, figuring they'd be around for a while, he went inside the thrift shop and looked for something good to eat, sweets specifically, then picked up a random sweatshirt hoodie.

Then, he heard a feminine shriek. Tucker quickly crouched and started back out behind the corner of the shop, looking out towards the gas station. A woman was held captive by an insane man, a blade being his only weapon. Then, the man that was arguing with the woman came out the gas station's mini-mart quickly, his weapon being a baseball bat. "What's the kid gonna do with that...?"

"_Clarissa here; we see your predicament. Heckler and the others are giving you the green light to engage the hostile target, but don't reveal yourself._"

"Don't show myself? Who said?" He pulls back the charging handle with a hard yank, the bullet in the magazine sliding into the chamber.

"_Direct word came through from Freelance 0-1. Sorry, big man. Gotta deal with it in the shadows._"

"Nah, not a problem, sweetheart." He said with a chuckle as he peeks past the corner again to watch the situation build up. "I found a civilian hoodie to throw on. That's passable?"

No response.

"Fuck..." Tucker cursed under his breath as the man started yelling, followed by the male student drawing a snubnosed revolver pressed against the man's chest firmly. Seeing this, the mercenary crept behind a few cars to get closer to the scene without being noticed.

"The... The gas", the man, who held and groped the busty female high school student, says under his breath as he stared down at the male elder teenager with a feared look in his eyes. "You'll blow us all up...!"

"Better than someone stealing my girl", the male high school student said back with sternness in his voice.

_Fuck, kid, you'll kill yourselves_, Tucker thought to himself as he clenched his teeth. He slowly eased up from behind a truck and fired three suppressed semi-auto shots through the car door windows to the man from the side.

_Snap, snap, snap!_

The first bullet struck the man on his side, the second striking him on his shoulder. The moment the first shot hit, though, the female high school student rushed out of his grasp into the male high school student's arms. As for the third shot, the bullet zipped through the man's skull, the bullet piercing through one side of his temple and out the other. Finally, the man fell on his side, dead, leaving the two high school students standing there in surprise at the sudden attack.

"_Negative, you cannot show yourself to the civvies_", Clarissa finally answered.

Tucker slowly stood up with a deep sigh through his ballistic mask, eyeing his kill. "Yeah, yeah. I'm out of here." He turns and left the scene, continuing on with his damage assessment and scouting operation. "Hey, Clarissa? How's the evacuation going?"

"_So far, so good, big man_", she said cheerfully.

"Good - those kids earlier better book it there then", he said with a soft chuckle as he began to walk out of the area. As much as he saw, no undead stumbled out of the darkness they lurked to the silenced shots, surprisingly.

"_Wait,_ _we've got a situation developing over here, Tucker_", Clarissa finally said. "_Hurry your ass up._"

"On it, woman." He started his jog with a soft sigh, looking around. "Fuck, am I already becoming an old shit fart already?"

"_That's not what your 22 year-old body said several nights back_", she replied with a bit of tease in her voice.

With a soft, husky chuckle, Tucker shook his head as he peeks past a corner, spotting about a dozen of 'them' feasting on some corpses in the streets. "Whatever, Clarissa, Tucker out." He pulls back the charging handle to peek inside the chamber, checking if there was a bullet loaded in. With a smirk, he steps out the corner of a shop and pointed his SOPMOD HK416 rifle down the street towards 'them' as they fed.

"_Hold it, we're spotting several of those things further down in front of you, about a dozen. You're cleared hot to push through, QUIETLY._"

"Roger that." He looks down the ACOG scope of his rifle through the red chevron, aiming directly to the skull of one of the undead feasting on a child...

_Snap! Snap, snap, snap!_

_..._

_I've made my final decision... There's going to be a part two. Alpha Providence will show it's dark side, the high schoolers and their families will be back on the road, and some other characters will appear before the last of 'them' perishes from the released cure. _

_Date of release is TBA._


	15. Tucker's Last Stand

As the Osprey had taken off, leaving Tucker behind on the roof of Tokyo Tower to be pulled back by 'them' by his duffel bag, he muttered the words, "I did it... I brought them out, guys..."

Falling back onto the floor of the floor atop his bag of weapons, he kicked one of 'them' in the face, sending them to stumble back and off the edge of the roof. He stood up before he was completely overwhelmed, pushing and shoving every one of 'them' that had gotten close enough to take a bite out of his flesh.

"Get the fuck back!" He pulled out his sidearm from his hip and began firing round after round at each of 'them', whichever had gotten close enough. He picked one up by its neck and choke slammed his hard onto the floor with his immense, enhanced strength then elbowed the other across its jaw behind him.

Just then, he had finally been overwhelmed by the numbers. One of 'them' had bitten Tucker on the arm, and another on his wrist.

"Fuck!"

Tucker grabs his knife from his boot and stabs one of 'them' that bit his arm through its temple, then stabbed the one biting his wrist through the rotting eye socket.

"Want more of this?!" He dropped the duffel bag and pulls out a SOPMOD M4A1 rifle, firing semi-automatic rounds into the face of whichever of 'them' was in biting length. They were so close that he had to keep his arms back and circle around, as he was also completely surrounded.

Tucker unpins a grenade and tosses it overhead of 'them', the explosion going off and sending bodies off the edge of the large structure's roof. As 'they' were briefly distracted by the noise of the explosion, he kicked one of 'them' off the edge of the roof as he started pushing and shoving his way away from the crowded area to a spot on the roof where there were less of them.

"Hey! Over here, undead fucks!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, firing several rounds in the air to grab their attention.

Once 'they' had turned away from the source of the grenade explosion to Tucker, moaning and groaning over the heavy rain, Tucker smirks under his ballistic mask and picked up a idle rifle from the floor.

"That's right", Tucker says with a low tone. "Come to me..." He unpins the pin from a WP (White Phosphorous) grenade, then rolls it into the thickening crowd of 'them'. Once it went off, white smoke popped out of the small container, the burning chemicals burying into the bodies of the undead - some of which killing 'them' with the burns to the skull and ultimately brain.

Tucker bashed the butt of his M4 carbine rifle into the face of another that reached out to him, forcing him to stumble back from the overwhelming numbers of flesh eaters, arms reaching out to Tucker's already bitten body. "Fuck...!" He says through tightly clenched teeth, then pointed his rifle at a nearby generator. "Please be old, please be old..." He fires several shots into the large generator, exploding, followed by other generators as if there were a line of mini explosions.

'They' all looked towards the destroyed generators, stumbling over. As for Tucker, he glances over to the stairwell, seeing that more of 'them' kept coming. He looks down the edge of the building he was by - it was too far down for him to use any of his equipment. "I guess this is really it..." He glances down at a idle M249 SAW, then picks it up in his arms. He flips up the magazine cartridge, seeing it to be fully fed with a belt of ammunition. Then, with a smirk...

_Thu-thu-thu-thu-thu-thu-thu-thu-thu-thu-thack!  
_

Tucker kept his finger on the trigger, mowing 'them' down as he shouts aloud. "Come back to me, I'm not done with ya yet, all of you!" He started to step forward, keeping his finger dug into the trigger and spraying bullets everywhere, until he found himself crowded with 'them'. He was being bitten and grabbed, forcing Tucker to smack them in the face with the LMG and continue firing. When he was out of ammo, he brought up his sidearm and fires shot after shot at whatever of 'them' grabbed and already bit him. Then, he went down to his blade. He stumbled backwards, falling on his behind, as one tackled him to the ground. Then, three more fell atop of him. He stabbed at their rotting skulls, slicing at their throats, until he lost his blade in one of 'their' bodies.

"I'm not done yet", Tucker screams under his mask after kicking and shoving 'them' off so he can at least stand. He slowly backs up as he breathes heavily. He felt weak and exhausted, and overall just dying. Finally, he took two of his last grenades, one in each hand, then unpins them. "Let's end this now." There were just a small crowd of 'them' left. He sprints towards 'them', shoving a grenade in one of their throats and another in a gaping hole at 'their' side. In that short seconds before the grenade went off, Tucker kicked on of 'them' off the edge and snapped another by their necks. He was suddenly yanked back by one of 'them' at the back of his vest, then the rest climbs up to him as he struggled to keep his stance. Tucker screamed in their faces while clinging tightly to them right back, despite their bites and death grips, just as the grenades went off inside two of 'them', sending the others to fly off the edge of the roof or scattered around the rooftop, dead.

As the grenade went off, however, Tucker was flung back towards one of the destroyed generators. A pole-like object sticking out of the generator pointed straight towards Tucker's back, as his body was thrown against it. The object pierced through the right side of his back and out his upper abdomen.

"Agh", Tucker cursed as he spat out blood. "Fuck...!" He grips the pipe that stuck out of his upper abdomen, then chuckle to himself weakly. "I guess they can say I got some pipe..." He unstraps the mask from the back of his head and drops his hand to his side while holding his ballistic mask, bloodied on the inside. He took that long, deep breath of open air after ripping off his balaclava. Then, glancing to the side... "Hey, guys..."

Tucker reaches for the duffel bag beside him. It was excruciating and painful, yet, he keep reaching for it, as if attaining the bag in his possession is everything to him. But, inside of dragging the bag to him, he pulls a clutter of dog tags in his grip, hanging them up so he can look at them with a faint smile. "Hey Heckler... Brecken..." He drew a deep breath as he coughed up more blood. "Patterson, Farley... Clarissa... Alpha forever, right?" He then slowly reaches up to his own tags, ripping them off with the little strength he had left. "Providentiam... Divinam in omnium..." Finally, he went limp, drawing his final breath.

Just like that, the fight was over. No living, or undead, thing remained on that rooftop under the heavy rain.

The sky no longer cried once dawn broke a moment after.

...

"Where's the body", Pact asks in the medical bay of the carrier. He was walking alongside Kolvcheska and Night Watch.

"This one right here", Kolvcheska pointed to a spot on the floor, where a body lays under a blanket. "Why do you want just _his_ corpse?"

"We're bringing him back, we're not done yet", Pact said, yanking the blanket off of the corpse. Underneath, Tucker lays there with his face bruised and sustaining a few cuts. "We're bringing him back before the shit hits the fan. Night Watch, give him another dose or two of our augmentation shots, now."

"On it", Night Watch says from beneath his mask, hurrying off out of the morgue-made room.

"Um", Kolvcheska scratches the back of her head, having a look of concern under her ballistic mask. "_Komandir_, if you're going to bring him back, you know that you're only option is that drug, right?"

Pact sighs deeply, placing his gloved hands on his hips while staring down at Tucker. "We need every available asset for this final operation in this crisis. Everybody..."

...

_It's final: Part II is coming up at a later time. This next part will feature more characters from the anime and manga, more military forces, and more plot... In both senses. This next part will end the crisis of the dead entirely. Private message me what you want to see, review what you think. Like and follow._

_Above all else, happy reading._


End file.
